


The Wanted Man

by Dancingdog



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Abusive Michael, Alpha Dean, Criminal Dean, Detective Castiel, M/M, Multi, Omega Castiel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2017-11-02
Packaged: 2019-01-17 19:51:17
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 9
Words: 48,353
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12372837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dancingdog/pseuds/Dancingdog
Summary: Castiel has been mated to Michael for eight years. He loves his alpha just as much as Michael loves him and so what if Michael broke his arm because he spilled hot coffee in his lap? It would heal. Castiel probably deserved it anyway for being so clumsy. He doesn't understand why his friends keep saying they're concerned about him.The one thing he does understand is that Dean is a criminal. A thief and the biggest annoyance Detective Castiel Novak has ever faced. Dean Winchester deserves to be locked up and the key melted. He hates Dean Winchester because the alpha is the best thief in all of America and everyone knows it, especially Dean.So why does Dean keep calling the station and asking for him? Why does Dean keep flirting with him every time they speak? Why can't the blasted alpha just turn himself in already?"Hello, Dean.""Hey, Cas! I knew there was an Angel watching over me today!"





	1. Chapter 1

“Castiel, could you pass me the sugar please?” Michael asked, sweet and pleasant and so unlike many of the gruff, aggressive alphas Castiel knew were out in the world.

The omega nodded and handed him the sugar bowl. Michael offered him a charming smile and Castiel’s heart skipped a beat at that handsome face. It was nice to know after their eight years of mating, he still found his alpha as attractive as when he met him in University at nineteen.

Michael was six years older than him. He was Castiel’s professor at the University and graduation day hadn’t come quick enough for the omega. Castiel had been in his second year when he’d met the tall, dark-haired, chocolate-eyed law professor and he’d fallen in love with the alpha’s passion for teaching and his cool and collected demeanour whilst explaining the intricacies of the law.

Technically, Castiel was a forensic scientist; that’s the course he’d earned his degree in, but guest speakers often visited to explain certain aspects of the law and Michael just so happened to be one of those frequent speakers. They’d flirted and had coffee all under the guise of Castiel needing extra help with his studies and once the omega had graduated, Michael had taken him on a real date and that same night, gently kissed him and Castiel had felt sparks.

The next date saw them both in Michael’s home, engrossed in a movie whilst cuddling on the couch and that evening, the alpha had knotted him slow and deep and Castiel knew he’d fallen hard for the intelligent law professor with a soft voice and a shy smile.

They waited another six months before mating and Castiel knew how lucky he was to have such a tender alpha and a well-paid job at such a young age. It was the first time he’d been happy since losing his parents.

Armed robbery. That’s the whole reason he’d wanted to be part of the police force. He hated criminals with a passion. Murderers, rapists and robbers all deserved punishment and he wanted to be the one to catch them.

Michael had been proud of him; praised him and encouraged him to follow his dreams to work his way to the top and Castiel had done just that, even working his way past Michael’s pay grade in just four years. All his co-workers and superiors had been impressed.

Then Michael started getting snappy with him.

Just little things at first; _“You forgot to empty the dishwasher again.” “I thought I told you to stop buying that type of soap?” “You never listen to me. Why do you never listen to me? I’d be better off talking to a wall.”_

Castiel had passed these comments off as lover’s spats. Everyone had them. Every couple argued and he and Michael were no different. They both argued with each other and then after a couple of hours, they apologised and made up.

But then, the comments started to become more frequent; the grudges and periods of stubborn silence lasting for a whole day, sometimes even two and often, Castiel didn’t even know what he’d done wrong.

The comments soon began to change to accusations.

_“You’re late. Again. Do you not want to be with me?” “Why are you so forgetful? Are you deliberately attempting to irritate me?” “Are you trying to embarrass me in front of my colleagues?”_

Castiel protested these accusations and their arguing morphed into yelling. They said their piece and then everything returned to normal and they were the same loving couple they’d always been, just with the occasional heated argument.

Over the next year, the nature of their arguments changed again. Accusations turned into insults, arguments into threats. The yelling grew louder to the point where neighbours had knocked on the door to check up on them. Cups and glasses shattered against walls and floors.

_“Who are you screwing? There must be someone because nobody works that much!” “I swear, if I find out you’re whoring yourself out to that partner of yours… what was his name? Balthazar? I’ve seen the way you look at him!” “I don’t know why I mated such a young and stupid omega. You can’t do anything right, can you?” “You ever humiliate me like that again, Castiel, I’ll make you leave. This is my house, don’t ever forget that.”_

The first time Michael hit him, they were both shocked.

They’d been arguing about Castiel’s co-worker, Balthazar. The cheery alpha was overly friendly; he liked to pat people on the back and hug them or shake their hands and pull them in for the traditional French greeting of a kiss on each cheek. Considering the alpha originated from France, this was to be expected and he greeted everyone in the same way, whether they were omega, beta or alpha. Castiel and his co-workers were accustomed to it.

Michael was not. He spotted Balthazar kissing Castiel on the cheek and to say he was furious was an understatement. Michael was livid and he had demanded Castiel told him the truth about the nature of their relationship. Castiel had explained Balthazar’s background, but Michael accused him of lying.

“Am I not good enough for you, is that it?” Michael hissed. They were both standing in the kitchen. Michael had cornered him, refusing to let him leave and Castiel was growing agitated.

“He’s my co-worker! He’s European; French! It’s a traditional greeting!”

“Of course it is,” seethed Michael. “Do you suck his knot too? Is that a traditional French greeting?”

Castiel narrowed his eyes. “I’m appalled you have so little faith in me.”

“I’m disgusted you’re so faithless,” countered Michael and Castiel crossed his arms in the picture of annoyance.

“If you have so little trust in me, why don’t you leave?” He snapped and Michael snarled.

“This is my house. You came to live with me.”

“We both pay the bills.”

“Then go and live with Balthazar!” Yelled Michael. “I’m sure he won’t make you pay the bills!”

“I chose you, didn’t I?” Hissed Castiel. “Or did I make a mistake?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Maybe I should’ve chosen Balthazar,” snapped Castiel. “At least he doesn’t think with his knot instead of his brain!”

Castiel staggered backwards, eyes wide and cheek stinging. He placed his hand over it to soothe the pain and his lips parted in shock as he stared at Michael, not fully understanding what had just happened.

Michael gaped at him in horror, whole body frozen and eyes round. For a moment, neither of them spoke.

“Castiel… I…” Michael stuttered, voice barely above a whisper and Castiel only noticed he was crying when he felt the tear rolling down his uninjured cheek.

Michael pulled him into a hug, the alpha’s own eyes glazing over with unshed tears and Castiel heard himself sobbing into the alpha’s shoulder as Michael breathed apologies and words of comfort into his ear.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that. I don’t know what I was thinking. I wasn’t thinking. I’m so sorry, Castiel. I’m so, so sorry. I never want to hurt you. You mean everything to me. I believe you. I know you’re faithful. Please forgive me.”

They made up that night and Michael worshipped Castiel’s body in bed, so the omega never thought anything of it. It had been an accident and Michael had promised he would never do it again.

He broke that promise precisely four and a half months later.

Everything had been going well. They hadn’t argued for weeks and they were both happy and in love. But one night, in bed, Castiel had hit the peak of his heat. There was intense agony between his legs and he knew there was no way he’d get to sleep if he didn’t give in to his urges, so he peppered kisses over his tired mate’s neck and smoothed a hand down his front in hopes of making him aroused.

Michael had frowned and pushed him away.

“Not tonight.” He sounded exhausted from both work and catering to Castiel’s heat all the previous week and Castiel immediately felt guilty and tried to settle down again. The pain wouldn’t simmer down though and he was restless.

“It hurts,” whispered Castiel apologetically and when Michael didn’t answer, Castiel reluctantly placed a hand over his arms, gently shaking him.

“Michael, it hurts,” he pleaded again and the alpha groaned quietly.

“I’m exhausted. Can’t you wait until morning?”

The omega made a sound of apology. “I’m at peak. You don’t have to do anything, let me just ride you.”

Michael scowled, back still turned to him. “Can’t you use a toy?”

“It’s not the same. It doesn’t help. I need my mate.” Castiel shook his head. “I’m sorry, but I need you, Michael. Please? Just a quick one?”

Michael grumbled and pulled the covers tighter to his chin. “Just use a toy.”

Due to the influence of his hormones, Castiel’s logic and patience were running quite thin. He scowled petulantly.

“I always help you through a rut. Even when I’m exhausted.”

Michael stilled. “Oh, so I’m the bad guy now? I won’t give you sex so I’m a terrible mate?”

Castiel’s mouth drew into a thin line. “You know how much pain I’m in. You know what it feels like when you’re at the peak of a rut. I need you.”

Michael sat upright and glared at him in the darkness.

“I’m tired, Castiel. I’ve done nothing but satisfy you this past week. Give me a break. I can’t keep going like this.”

“I keep going for you,” huffed Castiel. “I hate seeing you in pain so I always help you, no matter how tired I am.”

“Are you accusing me of not caring about you being in pain?” Asked Michael, irritably. “Do you honestly think I like seeing you in agony?”

“Then help me,” said Castiel stubbornly and Michael narrowed his eyes.

“Use a toy.” With that he settled back down and rolled over again.

Castiel’s mouth drew into a thin line. “Fine,” he muttered before fetching a thick, plastic knot.

He lay back on the bed and grimaced as he worked himself open.

Sex during heat or rut was rarely pleasurable. It was more of a necessity and an instinct to fill or be filled and it was often quite painful for alphas and omegas and their partners. It was a period of emotional and physical exhaustion and alphas and omegas often couldn’t think logically when they were under the influences of their biology. Both genders were thankful they only had two every year, both lasting two weeks each.

The toy was hard and cold and with no warm body wrapped around him, Castiel didn’t have any comfort. He wanted to bury his nose into Michael’s neck and scent him to ease his suffering, but the toy was as good as he was going to get at the moment. 

As predicted, it didn’t help. The burning of his heat didn’t lessen and now he was beginning to ache because the toy was uncomfortable and unpliant.

With a wince he tossed the toy to the floor. That hadn’t helped at all.

“Michael,” he whimpered softly and the alpha huffed.

“No.”

“Please, it hurts,” he begged and Michael flopped onto his back.

“Go to sleep, Castiel.”

“I can’t!” The omega finally exploded. “I can’t because I’m in agony and if you truly cared, you would do something about it!”

A burst of fresh agony flourished between his legs. It wasn’t like the burning ache of his heat though; more like someone had just taken a hammer to his cervix. He doubled over with a groan as Michael growled softly.

“Go to sleep,” he snapped before rolling over and for a long time, Castiel just stared at his back, processing what had happened.

Michael had kneed him between his legs.

He blinked at the realisation, unable to speak and after ten minutes, he rolled onto his side, facing away from his mate, and closed his eyes. His clitoris throbbed.

The next morning, Michael offered him a weak apology before going to work.

“Sorry about last night. I’ll make it up to you tonight, I promise,” he said before downing his coffee and Castiel merely stared at him as he walked out of the house.

After that, things between them grew worse. Their yelling escalated into full-on shouting matches. Michael began to push Castiel during their fights and Castiel eventually lost his patience and pushed back. One day, Michael shoved him into the coffee table and a glass shattered under Castiel’s hand. They spent the rest of the afternoon picking glass out of the carpet and Castiel’s fingers.

In their fifth year of mating, they were arguing over the pettiest of things.

“Why do you never put your cups in the dishwasher?” Snapped Castiel. “You always leave them on the side for me to clear up.”

“It’s not like you do anything else around this house,” hissed Michael. “You never fold your clothes correctly; I always have to fix them for you.”

Other times, they would go for days without speaking to one another.

Sometimes, Michael’s shoving would develop into small hits or slaps. These were the times Castiel would fall silent, bowing his head slightly or slinking away with his gaze low as Michael’s alpha pheromones overwhelmed his omega biology with fury and displeasure. Castiel cursed his biology for making him submit.

One day though, Castiel ignored his biology and fought back.

“You’re late again,” growled Michael. “Where have you been?”

“Working,” snapped Castiel, not in the mood for another argument.

“Who with?”

“None of your business.”

“You spreading your legs for someone? Is that it?”

“Why? Worried you can’t satisfy me anymore?” Castiel bit out, unusually aggravated. Michael’s pheromones were stronger than usual; was he starting a rut?

Michael shoved his chest and Castiel caught a whiff of musk combined with Michael’s usual clean pine and nutmeg scent. Michael was clearly starting a rut.

“Bitch,” Michael snarled. “Whose knot are you sucking?”

“No one’s,” snapped Castiel. “Especially not yours. So you can go use a toy for your rut until you learn to stop being so distrusting.”

“You’re my omega,” growled Michael. “Not those alphas’ from work. And I’ll learn to stop being so distrusting when you start coming home before ten.”

“It’s not like I have anything to come home for!” Hissed Castiel and Michael snarled at him in a particularly alpha-like manner and shoved at him again. Castiel shoved back.

“Don’t shove me,” seethed Castiel. Michael narrowed his eyes and grabbed his wrist.

“I need you now.”

“No,” grated out Castiel. “I’m tired. I’m going to bed.”

“Tired from servicing all those alphas at work?” Challenged Michael, yanking Castiel back to him when the omega tried to leave.

“Tired of you!” Snapped Castiel. “Let go!”

“No,” snarled Michael, grabbing his other wrist and pinning him to a wall. “It hurts and I need you.”

“Go use a toy!”

“No! I have a mate. I’m not using a toy.”

Castiel shoved him away. “Get off me, knothead!”

The omega stumbled to the right as Michael’s palm made contact with his cheek. Castiel rubbed his cheek with a grimace and grunted when Michael trapped him against the wall again.

“Do as you’re told, omega,” hissed Michael and Castiel’s instincts screamed at him to submit; to tend to his alpha’s needs; satisfy him and be a good omega.

Castiel’s brain told him to kick the alpha between the legs.

Castiel listened to his brain.

Michael doubled over with a groan and Castiel sidestepped him and stormed up to their room. He ripped his clothes off and changed into his nightwear before slinking into bed, muttering angrily to himself as he turned off the light.

A few minutes later, the light snapped back on and Castiel yelped as Michael drove his fist into his face, spewing aggressive alpha pheromones.

Confused and dazed, Castiel tried to shield his face but Michael rumbled threateningly and dug his nails into the omega’s soft belly. Castiel whimpered and tried to push his mate away, but the alpha punched his mouth and temper flaring, Castiel slammed his knuckles into Michael’s jaw.

Stunned, Michael did nothing as Castiel smashed his fist into his face again and threw the alpha off him before storming out of bed. Michael was quick to right himself though. He leapt out of bed and shoved Castiel into the wall and soon, the pair were struggling for the upper hand, kicking and punching and scrabbling at each other’s bodies until Michael crushed their mouths together.

He bit at Castiel’s lips, claiming his mouth possessively and the omega growled and kissed back just as fiercely, trying to prove the point that he wouldn’t just submit as they fought for dominance. Michael fumbled with his clothes and Castiel clamped down on his bottom lip, drawing blood. The alpha hissed and slammed the omega’s back into the wall harshly, yanking his underwear down. They struggled for a few moments, cursing under their breaths as they clawed at each other’s bodies, but it wasn’t long before Michael managed to spin Castiel around and press his face into the wall by sheer brute force.

Cas bit out a heated curse as the alpha took him. Michael wrapped his arms around the omega’s waist possessively, keeping him still as he drove into him, growling and panting as he tried to rid himself of pain. He sunk his teeth into the mating mark between Castiel’s neck and shoulder and the omega hissed at the new claim. 

Neither of them spoke again and when Michael was finally finished, the pain subsiding, he left Castiel panting against the wall and clambered into bed, switching the light off as he did so.  
Castiel slipped into bed when he was sure the alpha was asleep and he glared daggers into his back when he spotted the splotches of blood on the clean, white sheets. He rolled to face the opposite wall and only realised he was crying when he tasted salt.

They didn’t speak for two weeks; the only contact they had with each other being late in the evening when Michael needed Castiel to get through his rut. They never saw each other all day, but when they retired to bed, Michael would force Castiel onto his front and knot him from behind like a dog, wait for his knot to go down before rolling away to sleep. There were no sensual kisses or tender touches; just a rough knot, a pointed mating bite and sleep.

After two weeks, Castiel felt numb.

He wondered if he was depressed; he felt used and worthless and he realised the love he’d originally felt for Michael had faded to nothing. He no longer wanted to return home from work to his mate and he didn’t want to see him anymore. 

Once Michael’s rut was over, he took to sleeping in the spare room. He spent more time at work and thus, more arguments occurred more frequently between him and Michael. He started going out to bars more on a night and when he got home, Michael was rough with him; sometimes yelling at him, sometimes hitting him and sometimes tearing his clothes off and knotting him over whatever surface was available to prove a point. He would call him degrading names like _‘useless bitch’_ and _‘worthless slut’_ and _‘stupid whore’_ and Castiel was often too numb or drunk to care. Sometimes they would fight; go at each other with tooth and nail until they were both exhausted and sore and bleeding. Michael looked upon him with disgust now, sneering insults at him on a daily basis and Castiel ignored him.

In their sixth year of mating, everything changed.

Michael was suddenly more patient with him, talking to him softly and complimenting him when he did something right. He told him how proud he was of Castiel; how much he loved him and was sorry for everything he’d done. He cooked him breakfast in bed and helped him with chores. He kissed him sweetly and touched him as if he was something special to be cherished and adored.

Castiel had whiplash from it all. It was as though they were in their first year of mating again; young and naïve and in love.

They rarely argued. They never threw punches. It was rare Michael raised his voice, even when Castiel was raising his. The omega kept waiting for the explosion of anger to come, but it never did.

Slowly but surely, Castiel began to trust Michael again.

Six months in, Castiel cuddled into Michael on the couch, the pair watching some sort of documentary the alpha was interested in. He nuzzled Michael’s neck and placed a kiss against his jaw when the alpha held him closer.

“I was wondering if you wanted to invite your friends over on Saturday?” Asked Michael softly. “Have a little party or something similar.”

Castiel cocked his head to one side. “Why? There’s nothing special coming up.”

Michael smiled in amusement and kissed his mate’s forehead.

“Why not? You never have your friends over. I thought it would be nice for you to spend some time with them and for me to get to know them.”

Castiel perked up at the idea. “You’d be okay with that?”

Michael chuckled softly and kissed him sweetly on the lips. “Of course, darling. I’ll get all the food tomorrow when you’re at work.”

Michael smelled like a happy alpha and Castiel’s omega basked in it with joy. He snuggled into the alpha with a grin and Michael smoothed a hand down his side.

The party was a success and Castiel had fun. He pushed Michael into bed that night and rewarded him for being such a good alpha and Michael laughed and kissed him passionately.

This cycle continued for a few weeks; Michael would treat Castiel to movie-dates, expensive meals at restaurants, weekends out, evening walks in the park… anything romantic, Michael would do it for Castiel, without asking for anything in return.

Castiel was so honoured by this behaviour that he started wanting to make Michael feel as good as he made him feel. He did the chores and made their meals and tried to let the alpha know how much he loved him. He wanted to see his alpha’s smile, make him laugh and make him proud.

One afternoon when Michael had him pressed against the kitchen counter from behind, kissing his neck and shoulders and nuzzling his hair as Castiel poured them both some coffee, Michael finally asked him for something.

“I was wondering if there was any way you could get shorter hours?” Asked Michael quietly. “I miss you when you’re at work and I hate being alone in the house.”

Castiel paused. “My hours are fixed,” he replied. “I can’t change them unless I change career paths.”

Michael was silent for a few minutes as Castiel stirred the milk into their coffee. The alpha rubbed slow, sensual circles into his stomach and heat pooled in Castiel’s belly so he turned and kissed his alpha deeply.

“It’s not like we need the money,” Michael murmured against his lips and Castiel stilled. 

He was quite correct; they had more than enough money for what they wanted; a little less salary wasn’t going to do them any harm.

“I miss you every day,” whispered Michael. “I’m not asking you to stop working, but would a few less hours hurt anyone? I only really see you on weekends.”

Castiel contemplated the idea for a few moments. He really wanted his alpha’s approval.

“I’ll have to think about it,” he said slowly. “This is a big decision.”

Michael grinned and kissed him chastely. “That’s all I ask.”

So, Castiel though about the idea over the next month and in the end, he decided to switch from forensic scientist to detective. The pay was slightly less, but the hours were more reasonable and honestly, they suited Castiel more anyway.

And he got to see Michael more often.

They were both happier and they smiled more and laughed more. Castiel knew he’d made the correct decision. Maybe it really was his job that had been the problem in the first place.

“Good boy,” groaned Michael as Castiel wrapped his lips around the alpha’s knot. Castiel’s omega preened at the praise and he leaned into Michael’s hand when the alpha stroked his face.

Michael slowly rocked into his mouth and Castiel choked and pulled backwards but Michael slid his hand to the back of his head, keeping him in place as he stilled his hips.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “But you feel so good. Please don’t stop.”

Castiel relaxed and let Michael rock into his mouth again, trying his best not to gag. He wanted to please his alpha afterall and Michael was very good to him. He could do this for the alpha.

He began to please Michael more and more during their lovemaking; fulfilling all of Michael’s desires and fantasies and cuddling into him when the alpha whispered tender words of praise and love into his ear afterwards. It was only when Michael asked for something a little out of the ordinary did Castiel hesitate.

“I… I want to try something new,” Michael murmured as they kissed each other heatedly and Castiel instantly nodded his head.

“Anything,” he replied and Michael smiled, pleased.

“I’d like to try a… game of sorts.”

“Okay,” whispered Castiel, too interested in ridding the alpha of his clothes.

“It’s an obedience game,” continued Michael quietly. “One where I tell you where you can touch and how.”

Castiel nodded, too busy undoing Michael’s shirt. He was in heat and his alpha smelled wonderful.

Michael grasped his hands. “If you disobey me, I get to punish you.”

Castiel paused as something in his heat-fogged brain suggested there was something wrong with that request.

“…What kind of punishment?” Castiel asked cautiously, trying to ignore the ache between his legs. He just wanted his mate.

“Mostly verbal,” murmured Michael. “Maybe a gentle smack. Nothing too hard.”

Castiel frowned and shook his head before trying to rip off Michael’s clothes again, but the alpha held him in place.

“Please, darling? Just one try? I’ll be disappointed if you don’t.”

Castiel’s heat-stricken brain latched onto the word ‘disappointed’ and gasped in horror. Omegas were supposed to please their alphas not disappoint them.

Castiel nodded. “Okay, we can try. Can I touch you now?”

Michael smiled and nodded, chuckling when Castiel tore his clothes off.

“I didn’t need that shirt anyway,” he teased as a button popped off and Castiel kissed him deeply. He loved this alpha so much.

Michael gently pushed him away. “Ah-ah-ah I didn’t say you could kiss me,” he scolded quietly, waggling his finger.

Castiel whined softly and Michael smirked as he rid the omega of his clothes.

Castiel tried to kiss him again, but the alpha moved away. 

“Stay still, Castiel.”

The omega huffed as Michael finished de-clothing him and when he was done, Castiel ran his hands over Michael’s chest greedily.

He gasped when Michael lightly smacked his rump.

“I said, stay still, omega,” warned Michael and an excited shiver ran up Castiel’s spine at the alpha’s little wink. He did as he was told.

By the end of the night, Castiel had been smacked six times and scolded eleven but the omega thought it was worth it when the alpha tugged him into his arms and kissed every inch of his skin.

They played their game more frequently and although Castiel wasn’t quite sure what to make of Michael’s increasing roughness and degrading names throughout their play, he knew he loved the alpha kissing his bruises and praising him for being a good omega and a loving mate at the end of it. Michael always told him how beautiful he was and he curled around him on a night and scented the omega’s neck and said how lucky he was to have Castiel and Castiel knew he’d made his alpha proud.

Michael deserved good things.

Eventually, Michael’s behaviour extended outside the bedroom and into everyday life. If Castiel came home later than usual after work, Michael would smack him; if he made coffee before Michael got up, the alpha would kiss him deeply and tell him how amazing he was. If Castiel did something Michael approved of, he would be rewarded; if he did something Michael didn’t like, he would be punished.

Castiel liked making Michael happy and he liked Michael being soft with him so he tried to impress the alpha, make him proud. 

As the weeks progressed, the punishments became more severe, but there weren’t many of them, so Castiel didn’t mind. There were far more rewards so Castiel was happy.

So what if Michael broke his arm because he’d accidentally dropped hot coffee in his lap at breakfast? It would heal.

His friends were worried about him, although he wasn’t sure why.

Maybe it had something to do with the dozens of bruises littering his body; although they’d only seen the ones on his arms.

It was okay though; he’d deserved them. Michael kissed every one of them when he did something right.

The alpha was currently doing just that. 

“Such a beautiful omega,” he whispered as he kissed a faded bruise on his shoulder. “I’m so lucky to have you. Don’t know what I’d do without you.” He sucked a love bite into his neck and Castiel groaned softly.

“Can I touch you?” Castiel whispered and Michael shook his head.

“Not yet, darling. Let me worship you.”

Castiel closed his eyes as the alpha peppered doting kisses over his skin.

“Suck my knot, omega,” murmured Michael and Castiel nodded hungrily. He trailed his hands down Michael’s body and licked up his chest before swirling his tongue around one of the alpha’s nipples. He nipped at it teasingly and suddenly, Michael struck him hard across the face, leaving an angry red mark.

“Did I say ‘tease me’?” Growled Michael and Castiel shook his head frantically.

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry, _what?”_ Hissed Michael, tugging harshly at the omega’s hair.

“Sorry, alpha!” Whimpered Castiel. “Sorry, alpha!”

Michael relaxed his grip and began to pet the omega’s hair soothingly.

“Such a good omega. Gorgeous. Now suck.”

Castiel nodded and did as he was told, relishing all of his alpha’s moans and noises of approval. He was causing that. He was making his alpha proud.

When they were finished, Michael tugged Castiel into his arms and kissed the new bruise on his cheek. “I’m sorry, darling. I never meant to hurt you. You know I don’t like hurting you.”

Castiel nodded. Of course he knew that. Michael was good to him. Michael wasn’t like the other alphas that liked to rape and hurt innocent omegas in the street. Michael was a wonderful alpha.

The alpha curled around him protectively. He kissed Castiel once more before they both fell asleep.

Over the next year and a half, Castiel strived to become the omega Michael wanted him to be. He did everything Michael asked of him. He learned from his punishments and looked forward to his rewards and he ignored all his friends when they said they were concerned about him. They didn’t understand how much he needed Michael; how good the alpha was for him. 

It wasn’t long before Castiel stopped hanging out with his friends. Michael was all he needed anyway. Michael was all he would ever need. He didn’t even mind when the alpha’s friends visited and sexually harassed him; Michael didn’t seem to care when they groped and touched him so obviously it wasn’t important. Castiel put up with it because Michael would’ve said something if he wasn’t happy.

Michael began to bring one of his co-workers over more often – a pretty slip of an omega called Anna. They flirted a lot, even in front of Castiel and the omega would’ve been unhappy about it if Michael wasn’t so attentive to him when she left; more so than usual. Michael liked to touch Anna and Anna liked to lean into him and flutter her eyelashes at him. Castiel got jealous sometimes, but Michael never kissed her so he supposed it was alright. Besides, when he’d confronted the alpha about the nature of their relationship, Michael had pressed his hand onto the hot stove, so Castiel hadn’t asked again.

They were in bed when Michael finally decided to talk about it.

“Anna’s very pretty, isn’t she?” He said softly as he kissed all of Castiel’s bruises.

Castiel nodded cautiously. He didn’t want to be punished again for talking about Anna.

“She thinks you’re pretty too,” Michael whispered and Castiel tilted his head.

“She does?”

The alpha made a sound of agreement. “I want her to join us.”

Castiel frowned. “…Like, for coffee?”

Michael chuckled and claimed his lips. “Like, in bed. Maybe once a week? On Saturdays? She’s single, so no mate to worry about.”

Castiel scowled and wrapped his arms around Michael. “I don’t want to share you.”

Michael’s face fell and he sighed and rolled off Castiel. “Fine,” he muttered as he turned off the light and Castiel immediately felt guilty because he’d disappointed his alpha. Michael deserved to be happy. Why was he such a selfish, pathetic omega?

“Wait, maybe… maybe we can try it?”

Michael beamed and kissed him soundly on the lips.

“Such a wonderful omega.”

And that’s how Castiel ended up having sex with an omega he barely knew and didn’t really like every Saturday night. Michael even let Anna hit him a few times.

Castiel didn’t like it, but Michael seemed to be enjoying himself and Castiel would never stop the alpha from having a good time.

So now, he was eight years into his mating with Michael Milton, passing him the sugar bowl on a Sunday morning as Anna-from-work slipped her hand into his alpha’s underwear and made him hum in approval.

Castiel kept his gaze low and tried not to think too hard about his life.

Suddenly, Castiel’s phone rang and both Michael and Anna watched curiously as he put it to his ear. They had every right to be confused; Castiel didn’t work on a Sunday and he’d lost a lot of his friends through ignoring them, so who could be ringing him?

It was his boss’ voice who filtered through. A slow, amused drawl that let Castiel know exactly what the call was about before his boss even uttered the name.

“Castiel? It’s Crowley. You’ll never guess who we’ve got on the line.”

Castiel closed his eyes. He knew exactly which criminal Crowley was referring to.

“It’s Dean Winchester. He’s asking for you. _Again._ ”


	2. Chapter 2

Castiel grumbled to himself as he stalked into the precinct. He threw his jacket over the back of his chair and ignored the amused smirks of his co-workers as he sat. Everyone knew about his relationship with this particular criminal.

Dean Winchester was America’s finest robber and escape artist. He was the best at his trade and everyone knew it, including Dean himself. He’d grown so cocky over the years that he had the precinct’s number on speed dial and often rang the police in the middle of a job to let them know where he was and what exactly it was that he was taking or doing. So far, he’d never been caught.

Castiel had met him two years ago when he was at a low point in his relationship with Michael. Back when he’d still been a forensic scientist, during his period of depression, he’d been at a crime scene at some rich plastic surgeon’s house. Out of the thousands of dollars the surgeon kept under his bed and the fifty expensive-looking watches he had in his top draw in the drawing room and the golden clock he had in his hall, the thief had stolen a dozen pairs of _breast implants_ he’d kept in his dining room.

Castiel thought them an odd thing to be upset over, but the surgeon seemed furious, if not panicked about the missing items. He revealed they’d been his own invention; a new kind of breast implant that only a select few knew about. He didn’t want people stealing his idea so it was imperative the items were returned to him.

Castiel still didn’t understand what was so special about the implants but he nodded professionally and began searching for entry points into the house, where the thief might have broken into. He swabbed areas for fingerprints and hair samples and when he was inspecting one of the windows from the back garden, an alpha in a leather jacket with a black bin bag clenched in his palm tapped him on the shoulder.

He startled and turned to the man and the alpha grinned at him with twinkling green eyes. He smelled like leather and whisky. It was a comforting scent.

“Can I help you?” Asked Castiel with narrowed eyes because this was private property and the surgeon lived alone.

The alpha smiled brightly. “Dean,” he said, offering his free hand. “I’m the gardener.”

Castiel relaxed. That would explain the bag. Dean tilted his head as he nodded towards the house. “What’s going on? Saw the flashing lights. You with the cops?”

Castiel nodded. “There’s an investigation into a robbery.” He frowned. “Can you state your whereabouts between the hours of two-fifteen and three-fifty this morning?”

Dean scratched idly at his chin. “Let’s see… well, I go to bed at eleven-thirty and wake up around seven so I guess I was asleep.” The alpha grinned cheekily and Castiel felt a smile tug at his own lips.

“Is there anyone who can back that up?” 

Dean chuckled. “My goldfish? I’m afraid I live alone. Frankly, I’d be worried if there was someone who could attest to the fact that I was sleeping.”

Castiel smiled genuinely. “I see. Yes, that would be rather worrisome.” He glanced over the alpha’s body.

Tall, muscular, handsome face. The man was certainly attractive.

“Novak,” the omega offered. “But people usually call me Castiel.” It was confusing for people when they realised he hadn’t taken Michael’s surname, thus not many people addressed him by ‘Novak’.

“You realise that’s not much easier,” smirked Dean and Castiel rolled his eyes.

“Blame my mother. She liked to believe she was poetic. I was born on a Thursday so she decided to name me after the Angel of Thursday, hence Castiel.”

Dean nodded thoughtfully.

“Well, I’m gonna call you ‘Cas’. Less of a mouthful.”

“Are three syllable words too complex for you?” Castiel asked drily and Dean laughed warmly, his eyes crinkling. Castiel though it made him more handsome.

“I like you,” Dean grinned and Castiel raised his eyebrows at the open honesty. Usually alphas would’ve flirted obnoxiously with him by now.

Dean’s conversational skills were refreshing.

The alpha smirked. “And you’re definitely my type, Angel.”

Ah, never mind.

“You’re not going to ask if it hurt when I fell from Heaven, are you?” Castiel deadpanned and Dean beamed.

“That was my next line.”

“I’m psychic.”

Dean laughed again as the omega rolled his eyes.

“Alright, I’ll let you get back to whatever you’re doing. It looked important to the case.” Dean paused. “…What is it you’re doing?”

“Dusting for prints,” replied Castiel as he turned back to the window frame. “There aren’t any broken or forced entrances, but maybe, with a bit of luck, our criminal will have left some evidence behind.”

“You think he’s a professional?” Dean asked curiously and Castiel hummed.

“Most probably. Although I don’t know what he’s going to do with a bag of breast implants.”

Dean laughed. “Breast implants? Kinky.”

Castiel chuckled. “I would love to know what our thief is going to do with them all.”

Dean cocked a lop-sided smile. “Maybe you’ll find out.”

“I hope so,” agreed Castiel. “So far, I’ve found nothing.”

Dean watched him swab for prints for a few minutes.

“Hey, listen, I left my loppers in the car, can you look after my bag whilst I go get them?” Dean asked and Castiel nodded distractedly. The alpha grinned and patted him on the back. “Thanks, Angel,” he said before jogging away.

Castiel continued inspecting the outside of the house for any stray clues and it was an hour and a half before he realised the gardener hadn’t returned. Curious, he located the bin bag and glanced inside.

His jaw fell open.

Breast implants. 

_A bag of breast implants._

He’d been bantering with the robber.

He smacked his forehead and groaned.

The surgeon was just happy to have his inventions back, but he later realised one was missing and grew irate at the police about it. A few weeks down the line he was imprisoned for unsafe practice. Apparently, his implants were toxic to the body and three women had died because of it; the worst part was he’d known about the flaw but had continued selling them because he knew they’d make a fortune.

When Castiel told the station about his run-in with Dean, they laughed and jeered and teased him. They’d all heard of the strange alpha before; each knowing a different crime he’d committed, but no one had actually met him or worked one of his cases. He was elusive and fantastic at covering his tracks.

It made Castiel more determined to catch him.

The next time they met, Dean waved at him from behind the wheel of a '67 Chevy Impala. He rolled the window down and shouted _“It ain’t sugar, Angel!”_ before his tires screeched against the asphalt and he vanished into the distance.

Castiel stared after him before shaking his head in exasperation and running up to Azazel’s apartment to ask what had been stolen. He was originally going to search for DNA since Azazel had called two hours ago to report a robbery, however he had a pretty good idea who the thief was.

Apparently, Dean hadn’t left the building when Azazel called the police.

The alpha reported he was missing a briefcase and its contents, but wouldn’t divulge what was in the briefcase. When the police pressed him for details, Azazel huffed out that he was transporting a modified type of caster sugar for use in a specialised bakery in the city centre.

The officers noted the explanation and continued their investigation, asking if Azazel had seen the intruder.

Castiel wasn’t so easily placated. He mused over Dean’s words and crept into Azazel’s bedroom, searching for any briefcases that matched Azazel’s description of the stolen one.

He found one under the bed.

It had a code-lock and Castiel silently swabbed the lock for chemical residues. He sealed the sample in a bag and joined the officers in the main room after hiding the case again.

The next day, Azazel was arrested for illegal transportation of modified cocaine.

It was a few weeks before Castiel heard of Dean again. By that time, he’d switched career paths to detective and was working a case about missing dogs; puppies to be precise.

He was at a kennels, one that bred Staffordshire bull terriers as a side project and although the business didn’t seem very popular considering over half the kennels were empty, the owner of the business was keeping afloat.

The alpha was called Alistair and Castiel hadn’t liked him the moment they shook hands. The other man wore a permanent smirk, leered at him too often and eyed him hungrily whenever he bent down to pick up material that could be considered evidence.

After the ninth leer, Castiel stood to his full height (a little taller than Alistair) and demanded the alpha show him the kennel of the six missing puppies.

The omega inspected the small kennel for a few minutes, idly wondering if it was adhering to regulations regarding space requirements, before taking a closer look at the water and food bowls.

“Have you touched these?” He asked Alistair and the alpha shook his head. Castiel could see a neat fingerprint smudged into the side of the food bowl.

He frowned as a tiny slip of paper caught his eye.

With gloved hands, the omega carefully lifted the food bowl and slid the paper out from under it.

 

_**Hey, Angel,** _   
_**I wonder what’s behind that back gate?** _

 

Castiel stared at the slip of paper for a few moments before folding it and placing it in his pocket. There was no point in testing for fingerprints when he already knew who the thief was, but why would Dean leave a note for him? First the sugar, now this? What game was he playing?

“May I ask what lies behind your back gate?” Asked Castiel, turning to Alistair and for a brief second, the alpha looked caught out; panicked even before his expression returned to his usual smirk.

“Bit of a junkyard back there. Old cages and broken bowls get put at the back of the house and I shut the gate so no one has to look at them. I’ll probably clean them up in a couple of weeks,” he shrugged.

Castiel had been in this business long enough to know a liar when he saw one.

“It may enlighten us as to how the thief got away undetected. Would it be possible for you to show me?” He asked politely and Alistair’s lips twitched downwards as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other; a clear sign he was hiding something.

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary, detective.”

 _‘Detective’?_ What happened to ‘Sweetheart’? Castiel mentally scoffed.

Castiel stood. “I disagree, Sir. The gate, if you please.”

“It’s a mess. Wouldn’t want you to hurt yourself,” wheedled Alistair but Castiel was determined to find out what the alpha was hiding.

“I won’t break,” he muttered drily. “If you’re troubled after your tragic loss, I suggest returning to your house for a hot drink. I can continue the investigation from here. Thank you, Mister Daemon.” He sidestepped Alistair and headed towards the back gate only for the alpha to grab his wrist tightly.

“Don’t go in there,” he warned and Castiel cocked an eyebrow.

“…Is that a threat, Mister Daemon?”

Alistair clamped his mouth shut and Castiel continued, eying up one of the officers in a way that let him know to keep an eye on the suspicious alpha. “Because if you truly are the victim of such a heinous crime, I’m certain you have nothing to hide from the law.”

Alistair reluctantly released Castiel’s arm when two officers began making their way over.

Castiel smiled, the expression dripping with sarcasm as he meandered over to the gate.

It swung open to reveal around forty dogs held in tight chains and small cages, each animal more battered and aggressive than the next. Dried blood stains coated the floors and walls, presumably where dogs had ripped each other apart. Some dogs were missing eyes and limbs. Most were without water and looked like they hadn’t been fed for days.

The smell of faeces and rotting flesh was overpowering and Castiel had to bury his nose into his sleeve. He turned away when he spotted the decomposing corpse of one Staffordshire bull terrier slumped in one of the cages.

“Mister Daemon, you are under arrest for the possession, training and breeding of fighting animals. You have the right to remain silent and anything you do say can and may be used against you in a court of law,” Castiel rattled off, nodding to the two alpha officers as they grabbed the criminal when he tried to make a break for it.

Alistair cursed and threw his weight around, desperately trying to escape, but Officer Lafitte and Officer Henriksen were far stronger. They slapped a pair of cuffs on him and marched him to one of the squad cars.

Castiel took one last pitying look at the dogs he knew would have to be destroyed and found himself thanking Dean for saving those six puppies.

Then he shook his head because he’d just thanked someone for theft.

He later called the SPCA and tried not to think about the case.

After that, Castiel found himself frequently working on Dean’s cases, but no matter what he did, he couldn’t catch the alpha. He couldn’t find out where Dean resided, couldn’t find out anything about his background or his past because the alpha had seemingly managed to wipe himself off the police database. All he knew was Dean was very selective about his crimes and who his victims were, and almost always his victims ended up in jail themselves because it turned out they weren’t very nice people. It was as if Dean was helping the police in some twisted way, yet he was still a thief and Castiel was determined to catch him.

The day Dean rang the precinct to ‘chat’ to Castiel was a day no one would ever forget. The alpha had called just to ask how Castiel was and the omega might have been more shocked if he hadn’t seen it as a perfect way to track the alpha’s location. He’d kept Dean talking so he could run the call tracer, but Dean was smart and he’d caught on quickly, ending the call only to ring back three seconds later with a chuckle.

“Aww… c’mon, Angel. I ring to check up on my favourite detective and you try to turn me in to the authorities. You’re breaking my heart here!”

Castiel quietly restarted the tracer.

“You are a criminal, Dean,” he pointed out and he could practically hear the alpha’s pout.

“Doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.”

Castiel raised an eyebrow. “Indeed, it doesn’t. Why don’t you visit me and we can chat face-to-face?”

“Because I prefer the kind of bars you can get a drink from,” commented Dean cheerily. “And because I don’t think you’re ready for that level of commitment yet. See you around, Cas.”

Castiel cursed when the line went dead. The tracer wasn’t quick enough.

He later found out that Dean’s phone was untraceable. The alpha wasn’t going to fall for the same trick twice and he’d modified his phone so it couldn’t be tracked, which meant he could call the station without the worry of being located.

Dean’s quick chats provided entertainment for the rest of the precinct and endless frustration for Castiel. The alpha learned the names of everyone at the station but it was clear his favourite person to talk to was Castiel. The omega’s co-workers thought it was hilarious. Castiel just wanted Dean to turn himself in.

One afternoon, they received a call from Dean with a very short message.

“I’m at _‘The Lock, Stock and Barrel’_. I’m going to steal a gun. Better hurry up.”

The surrounding officers blinked in surprise as the line clicked off and suddenly Castiel was shooting to his feet, barking out orders as his blood raced. What was Dean planning?

By the time they arrived at the gun merchants’, blue lights flashing and sirens wailing, Dean’s Impala had long gone.

Castiel raced into the shop to scope out the scene and to make sure no one was hurt. He was relieved to find the staff members unharmed and maybe secretly thankful that Dean hadn’t upped his game to murder.

The next question was: What had prompted Dean to steal a gun from these people?

It was obvious Dean thought someone within the shop was guilty of something; the alpha didn’t steal randomly and hoping this was just Dean being a typical thief was pointless. There was a story Castiel had yet to uncover.

“…I didn’t call,” began the shop owner suspiciously; a muscular beta in a pristine black suit. His golden nametag read ‘Uriel’.

“Tip off,” replied Castiel curtly. “What was stolen?” He’d found over the past few months that he had decreasing amounts of patience for Dean’s victims. They all deserved to be locked up and he didn’t feel like exchanging pleasantries with them.

“Handgun. Pearl-stocked, silver-barrelled. Beautiful piece of equipment,” intoned Uriel and Castiel stared at him.

“You don’t sound too upset.”

“Not my gun.”

“Sounds expensive.”

“It was.”

Castiel frowned. “Detective Novak,” he offered and Uriel crossed his arms.

“I’m sure you can read. Can I see your badge?”

Castiel raised a brow and handed his badge over for the shop owner to inspect. Uriel scrutinised it for a second before handing it back with a hum of displeasure.

“What are you going to do about my stolen property?”

This beta really rubbed him up the wrong way.

“We’re going to try to catch the criminal who did this,” Castiel replied easily and Uriel scoffed.

“It was Dean Winchester, right? I saw him in the papers. He’s been eluding you guys for years. You’ll never get that gun back.”

Castiel stilled. “…Excuse me?” Since when did civilians know of Dean Winchester’s reputation?

Uriel smiled distastefully. “You won’t catch him. Everyone knows you can’t. He’s proven himself more intelligent than all of the police force put together. How many objects has he stolen? Animals included. You’ll never sentence him. You can’t even locate him.”

Castiel scowled. He didn’t like this man.

“Don’t always trust the media,” he said coolly, stamping down on the urge to growl. He wouldn’t stoop to alpha intimidation tactics. 

Uriel merely scoffed and continued dismantling a tarnished rifle.

Castiel watched him for a few moments. “May I have a word with your employees?” He asked and Uriel glanced at him disinterestedly.

“Ava’s in the back, Zachariah’s upstairs.”

Castiel nodded and questioned Ava first. She was a sweet, young beta with a nervous smile and a scent of daisies and elderflower. She was rather pretty with big eyes and pink lips and she stumbled over her answers so much that Castiel had to sit her down and have a cup of tea with her. 

Zachariah was the complete opposite. He was smug and sarcastic and nearing retirement age. He had no time for Castiel and treated him as though all omegas were beneath him. Typical alpha. Castiel was surprised the older man was working for a beta.

For all his questioning though, Castiel was no closer to solving why Dean would’ve robbed the store.

“I’m not surprised the police can’t catch that Winchester kid when they’re letting omegas on the force,” was Zachariah’s parting remark and Castiel wanted to punch something. Preferably the alpha’s face.

His hatred for Dean racketed up a notch.

Over the next week, Castiel found himself trying to work out what was so special about the gun shop whilst simultaneously trying to find out all he could about Dean Winchester.

He startled when the thief rang the station late one night when Castiel just so happened to be working overtime.

“What’s so special about the gun store?” He demanded as soon as he picked up the phone.

Dean chuckled. “And a hello to you too, Angel. You usually work this late? Benny normally picks up around this time.”

“Benny’s sick,” replied Castiel. “What’s with the gun store?”

“You not worked it out yet?” Hummed Dean teasingly and Castiel huffed.

“If I had, would I be asking you to tell me?”

“Maybe you just like hearing my voice.”

“You called me,” Castiel remarked gruffly. “Stop fooling around, Dean. What happened at the gun store?”

“Why do you assume anything happened? Maybe I just wanted to steal a gun.”

“Not your style. You don’t steal for nothing. You’re proving a point; I just can’t figure out what it is.”

“Maybe I’m just trying to get your attention, Angel.”

Castiel ended the call with a soft growl. He didn’t have time for Dean’s games. He was already far too late for Michael’s liking which meant a punishment and he couldn’t disappoint his alpha. He didn’t want any more bruises; he was sore enough. He wanted some sort of lead on either Dean’s history or the gun case before going home.

The phone rang again and Castiel ignored it. On the sixth ring, he picked up.

“What?” He snapped and Dean was quiet for a few moments.

“What have you got so far?” The alpha asked softly and Castiel found the tone oddly soothing.

“Uriel’s the owner. He’s a loner with no family. He has a possibly unhealthy fascination with weapons and he owns a fair collection, some of which he uses for sport,” Castiel relayed distastefully. He hated people who shot animals for sport. “Zachariah’s a sexist, traditional alpha from a well-off family that went bankrupt a few years back. He’s rude and snide and thinks the world has been cruel to him.” Castiel sighed. “But neither of them are killers. Zachariah’s never handled a gun and Uriel prefers to keep away from human contact. I don’t understand what you’re attempting to convey.”

Castiel rubbed the bridge of his nose as Dean absorbed this information.

“You’ve missed someone important,” murmured Dean and Castiel frowned in confusion.

“Who have I- ” he cut himself off as he remembered the sweet, nervous beta he’d offered tea to.

“Ava? Surely you can’t mean her? She’s just an art student.”

“Never assume, Cas,” Dean said quietly and Castiel was strangely disappointed when the line fell silent.

However, it was a lead and Castiel vowed to work on it once morning came. When he returned home, he gained two new bruises to add to the collection.

Over the next week, he worked out that a case he’d believed to be entirely separate from Dean’s was actually more intertwined than he thought. A photography student had been found dead in one of the playing fields; a small, clean wound in the side of his neck and his jugular sliced open. The police had originally assumed the wound was from a pair of scissors, but there was no weapon nearby. Later, the wound was determined to have been caused by a craft knife; a piece of equipment frequently seen around the art department. The wound matched a few of their knives and whilst four of them were littered with various fingerprints and DNA, one was wiped completely clean.

The art professor identified it as Ava’s personal knife.

Castiel brought her in for questioning and by the end of the week she was facing a prison sentence.

The dead student had been an ex-boyfriend. He’d broken up with her after realising they didn’t work together and when he’d picked up a new girlfriend a mere two weeks later, Ava had been jealous and he’d paid the price.

Once again, Dean had helped the police punish a criminal.

As another year passed, Dean’s antics and elusiveness leaked into the media. Everyone in America knew the name ‘Dean Winchester’ and his cases actually became a source of entertainment for the police. His phone calls to Castiel’s station were the highlight of everyone’s week and his relationship with Castiel was amusing to everyone except Castiel himself.

Dean was cocky and arrogant but there was always an underlying reason behind his thefts that the police had to work out, yet the alpha never involved himself with higher tier crimes like murder and rape. He was just a thief, but he was excellent at not getting caught.

Castiel still wanted to see him behind bars.

Every second he roamed free was another second that Dean may be using to contemplate worse crimes like assault and murder. The alpha was still a criminal and Castiel was determined to catch him.

That’s why he found himself at his desk on a Sunday morning, the whole station gathered around him with grins and smirks of anticipation, as he tried not to think about the red-haired omega that was probably currently having sex with his mate in his house, whilst simultaneously ignoring the new bruises on his chest and stomach that his mate and Anna had inflicted the previous evening.

He sighed and picked up the phone on his desk, placing it on loudspeaker.

“Hello, Dean,” he rumbled in his no-nonsense gravelly tones.

“Hey, Cas!” Chirped Dean cheerily, as if he wasn’t about to break the law and inform the whole station about it. “I knew there was an Angel watching over me today!”

“Stop calling me that,” Castiel replied automatically, even though he knew Dean would ignore him. “Where are you and what are you about to do?”

Dean chuckled quietly. “I’m making this far too easy for you guys. You’ve come to expect hints. You’re getting lazy.”

“We’ve yet to catch you,” reminded Castiel and Dean hummed in agreement.

“Maybe I shouldn’t rip off the training wheels just yet then?”

Castiel didn’t bother to reply to that and Dean sighed dramatically.

“Someone’s having a bad day. Have you tried talking to Benny? He always cheers me up,” grinned Dean and Benny snickered at some in-joke they obviously had. Castiel thought it was a joke that a highly-wanted criminal was friends with half the station.

“Just tell me where you are so I can shoot you,” huffed Castiel, wanting the day to be over. He had no idea why Dean wanted to speak to him directly, but now he was beginning to believe it was just to tease him.

“If you shoot me, who’s going to check up on you, Angel?”

…What was that supposed to mean?

“Just tell me where you are, Winchester.”

Dean clicked his tongue. “You’re no fun. I’m at the airport, terminal two.”

Castiel nodded, quickly throwing his jacket on. “Don’t move,” he growled, making a few of his co-workers snicker and Dean chuckle.

The omega ignored them and was just about to end the call when Dean spoke again.

“Oh, and Cas?”

“What?”

“I’m going to steal a plane.”


	3. Chapter 3

Castiel had visions of a Boeing 747 hurtling down the runway by a crazed criminal who had no idea what he was doing. He imagined a four-engine plane slamming head-first into another commercial jet before spinning out of control and tail-ending the glass front of LAX like a scene out of _Final Destination_. He was terrified of hundreds of innocent people being diced into meat cubes by a wayward engine and the whole airport exploding in the shape of a mushroom cloud like a nuclear reactor out of a cartoon.

He raced through the streets of Los Angeles, blue sirens blaring and skidded to a halt at the entrance, making a taxi driver very angry.

He flashed his badge at security, yelled that he was a detective and sprinted through the airport, ignoring the receptionists who called for him to stop. He bypassed baggage checks, dodging security as they made a grab for him and jumped the barrier at passport control, causing four more security guards to chase him.

He found terminal two and glanced around frantically as his back-up finally arrived and explained to the security guards that they needed to shut down boarding. 

Castiel marched up to one of the flight attendants accepting people’s boarding passes and held his badge up.

“How many planes leave this terminal in the next hour?”

The blonde beta blinked at him, eyes wide and surprised.

“Um… Six are due to take off within the next sixty minutes.”

Castiel growled to himself. Six. He had to work out which of those planes Dean was going to steal.

“How many have already landed?”

The beta glanced at her computer.

“Two.”

That narrowed it down.

“Does that include the one that’s boarding now?” He asked and she nodded, her pretty ringlets bobbing delicately.

Castiel glanced over at the hundreds of passengers waiting to board the plane. It looked like one of those high-density flights that could pack over six-hundred people in.

“Is the pilot on-board?” The omega asked and the beta looked personally offended by the question.

“Of course he’s on-board.”

At that moment, the monitors around the waiting room displayed a new message; one that said the Air France flight was ready to board. There was movement from one of the gates at the bottom end of the room.

Castiel tried to calm his thundering heart.

“Is the pilot on-board that flight?”

The beta frowned. “I’m not sure. It’s not my gate,” she said unhelpfully and Castiel clenched his fists and glanced at Benny and Balthazar. They nodded and made their way over to inform the beta she needed to delay further boarding as Castiel sprinted down to the other gate.

He pushed past the other guests and ignored the protests of staff as he ran down the bridge to the plane. He hammered on the cockpit door, flashing his badge at the flight attendants who tried to haul him away.

“Detective Novak of the LAPD. Open up.”

There was some shuffling behind the door and Castiel placed a hand over his gun, making the flight attendants gasp and flee the entrance. Castiel waited for the door to fling open and was fully expecting to be met with mischievous green eyes, a handsome face and a smug smirk. 

He wasn’t expecting a female pilot and her equally female co-pilot. 

“Can I help you, detective?” Asked a hard-faced alpha, somewhere in her late fifties and Castiel paused for a second before cursing under his breath and shaking his head apologetically. Without further ado, he exited the plane.

He glanced around the waiting room once more, desperately searching for anything that might give him a clue as to what Dean was planning. Somewhere behind him, a smaller 737 began its taxi down the runway. Castiel caught Balthazar’s questioning gaze and shook his head and the alpha’s mouth folded downwards.

In front of the omega, a pilot dropped his coffee.

Castiel startled at the sound and frowned upon noticing the pilot’s shocked gaze as he stared through the huge window. Castiel trotted over to him.

“Is everything alright, Captain?” He asked and the pilot’s mouth worked open and closed a few times before he pointed through the window at the 737 that was now picking up speed.

“I’m supposed to be flying that plane.”

Castiel’s eyes widened and he whirled to face the smaller plane. It rolled down the runway, nowhere near full speed but clearly getting there and Castiel gaped when something that looked eerily like a body fell out of the front end and smacked against the asphalt.

There was a collective gasp of horror from the surrounding passengers as what was clearly a man shakily pushed himself off the floor, the plane beginning to rocket down the runway behind him. The man was wearing a pilot’s uniform.

The pilot beside Castiel, whose name read ‘Gadreel’, sprinted towards a red phone hanging from the wall and dialled an emergency number. He spoke low and fast and Castiel heard distant shouts of indignation and fury from another terminal as they protested that their plane had left without them.

Wait… there were no passengers on that flight?

Confused, Castiel turned back to the 737 as it bounced into the air. It climbed higher and higher into the atmosphere until it was a good few-thousand feet above the city.

Then it exploded.

There was an almighty _boom_ as the plane snapped in half; pieces of debris shooting everywhere as the sky was consumed in flames and billowing black smoke. For a moment, the entirety of the airport stared in stunned silence, then suddenly, there was chaos. People screamed and sobbed in terror; mothers gripped their children tight as fathers ushered them away from the windows. Passengers were running without any sense of direction and some had fainted. Some staff were crying whilst others tried to calm the surrounding guests; alarms blared above them and deafening announcements were being yelled through the PA system. 

Castiel plastered himself to a wall after being shoved into one and he glanced around the scene in disbelief.

What on Earth did Dean think he was doing?! People were being trampled in the panic; children were getting injured or sobbing out for their missing parents. What did the alpha have to gain from all this disorder?

Suddenly, the monitors stopped displaying their **‘HIGH ALERT’** warning message and flicked to black before a video feed replaced it.

Dean’s slightly battered but smirking face came into view.

Some people looked up and cried even louder or screamed; obviously believing Dean to be a terrorist who’d hijacked the entire airport and was going to kill them all in the most horrific manner possible. Castiel didn’t blame them.

“Hello, Detective,” said Dean cheerfully and Castiel snarled and bared his teeth. Dean winked.

“Don’t be like that, Angel,” he said and Castiel immediately knew he was in the video room, watching all chaos unfold on the CCTV cameras.

Castiel glowered at one of the cameras and Dean’s smile faded slightly. He seemed out of breath.

“Aren’t you lucky I learned how to perform a take off?”

Castiel frowned, barely able to hear him over the screeching passengers. He glanced at the nearest camera and pursed his lips. Dean arched an eyebrow.

“I could’ve let that plane explode at the gate.”

Castiel narrowed his eyes. How thoughtful of Dean to blow up the plane in the sky instead of on the ground.

Dean raised both eyebrows in what seemed like genuine surprise.

“…You don’t think I blew up the plane, do you?”

Castiel’s expression faded into something puzzled and Dean actually looked rather hurt.

“I’m not a murderer.”

The omega frowned. “The pilot,” he stated, hoping Dean could read his lips and the alpha squinted for a moment before making a sound of realisation.

“The pilot who fell out of the plane?”

Castiel nodded.

“How do you think I got all these scratches?” Dean asked, pointing to a bloody cut on his temple. Castiel blinked as the pieces slowly slotted together. He didn’t need any hints as to why Dean had led him here.

His epiphany must have shown on his face because Dean smirked for a moment before his gaze shifted to something off-screen. His eyes widened and he quickly whirled back to face his camera.

“Terminal one. Two alphas. White coats and white briefcases. Careful, they’re armed,” he rushed out and Castiel nodded and gestured for Benny and Balthazar to back him up. 

The trio sprinted past the panicking passengers and spotted the muscular alphas making a break for the exit. They were quick to spot the police. One hit an omega with a briefcase, making her crash to the floor and he leapt over her body before aiming his gun at one of the security guards that tried to tackle him. The other fired at Benny and narrowly missed his shoulder.

Castiel immediately yanked his gun out and aimed for their legs, Benny and Balthazar copying his movements and one of the men slammed into the ground with a yelp. His friend abandoned him and raced through the airport.

“Balthazar! Pin him!” Yelled Castiel and the alpha threw himself over the fallen terrorist’s body, snapping a pair of cuffs on his wrists as he confiscated his weapon. Castiel and Benny ploughed after the other renegade.

Castiel fired again and the bullet lodged itself into his shoulder, making the alpha shout and stumble and it gave them enough time to catch up and for Benny to piledrive him into the floor.

As Benny growled out the criminal’s rights, Castiel glanced up to the monitors only to find the **‘HIGH ALERT’** message blinking at him. 

For some reason, he was disappointed.

The next morning, the media described how a thief had saved the lives of over a thousand people.

 

* * *

 

It was Saturday evening, eight o’clock. Castiel’s shift ended two hours ago but he didn’t want to go home. Anna was at home and Castiel didn’t want to have sex tonight. He didn’t want to play any games; he just wanted to curl up on the couch next to his mate and watch some TV, but he knew Michael wouldn’t allow it. Not when Anna was over. Castiel didn’t want to watch another omega touch his mate.

He knew Michael would be angry with him, but he couldn’t find it in himself to care. He just wanted to be alone at his desk and work on some reports. 

The phone rang.

Castiel watched the little lights flash for a few seconds before picking up.

“Detective Novak speaking.”

“Hello, Detective.”

Castiel felt a small smile tug at his lips.

“Hello, Dean.”

“You sound happy to hear from me, Angel,” said Dean and Castiel could hear the grin in his voice. “What kind of drugs were they?”

“Come over here and I’ll show you,” Castiel shot back and Dean chuckled warmly.

“I’d love to come and get lost in those gorgeous sapphire eyes of yours, but I’m afraid I’ve got an allergy to uniforms of authority.” The alpha paused. “Although I suppose that could be rectified if you take yours off…?”

Castiel rolled his eyes but couldn’t wipe the smile from his face. He glanced around to make sure no one was close enough to eavesdrop. 

“Sure. We can do some role play. You could get on your knees, hold your hands out and I’ll slap a pair of cuffs on them.”

Dean purred teasingly. “Sounds kinky. What can I do with my mouth?”

“Well, you have the right to remain silent.”

“But anything I say can and will be used against me?”

“Correct.”

“So, if I say _‘the detective’s naked body’_ …?”

Castiel grinned widely. He should have expected that punch line.

“Did I make you smile?” Asked Dean and Castiel found himself relaxing into his chair.

“Indeed.”

“Then my day’s been productive.”

A warmth spread through Castiel’s body. Dean was so sarcastic and smug and arrogant all the time, that Castiel was always surprised when the alpha said something so sweet and genuine. He began to think of Dean’s comforting scent.

“I’d say you had a very productive day four days ago. You saved a lot of people, Dean.”

“You sound shocked,” Dean remarked and Castiel shrugged and twirled his pen between his fingers.

“I didn’t expect a criminal to turn out to be hero,” he admitted quietly and there was a long pause before Dean spoke.

“I think that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.”

“Don’t get used to it,” teased Castiel. “You’re still at the top of our ‘Most Wanted’ list.”

Dean chuckled. “But am I at the top of _your_ ‘Most Wanted’ list, Angel?”

“Not in the way you’re hoping,” deadpanned the omega and he imagined Dean smiling in amusement and stretching out on a couch somewhere as they chatted.

“Shame. We’d make a cute couple,” hummed Dean and Castiel shook his head. 

“We wouldn’t even have to role play cops and robbers.”

“You trying to get me all worked up thinking about you in a sexy cop outfit? Mmm… now there’s a sight.” Dean growled softly in a manner that was probably supposed to be playful but Castiel would never admit to the thrill that shot down his spine at the noise and the flash of heat between his legs.

He closed his eyes and tuned out the sounds of the station, focusing on Dean’s voice. For once he was going to ignore his logical side, which was currently telling him he should despise Dean and slam the phone down on him.

Anna and Michael were probably going at it over the dining room table and for once, Castiel wanted to have some fun too. He pushed his chair a little closer into his desk and lowered his voice even though there was no one wandering in his area.

“If I’m in the sexy cop uniform, what are you going to wear?” Asked Castiel quietly, wondering if Dean would catch on. 

Dean hesitated for a long time before finally replying.

“Depends. You a good cop or a bad cop?”

Castiel felt another thrill shoot through his body. 

“…Bad cop,” he murmured and Dean growled quietly again, making heat flare between Castiel’s legs. He felt naughty doing this with Dean over his desk phone. He was thankful the call wasn’t being recorded.

“Then I’d wear nothing but my underwear and those cuffs you were talking about.”

Castiel couldn’t help but picture it. The alpha’s strong, tanned body on display for all to see; muscles rippling and soft skin stretching for miles. He imagined Dean arching an amused yet somehow seductive eyebrow at him; cuffs binding his hands and a pair of underwear barely concealing everything.

Castiel frowned when he came to a problem with the picture.

“Red,” Dean supplied as if reading his mind. “Silk.”

Castiel shifted a little in his seat. The colour definitely suited the alpha.

“What would you do to me, Angel?” Dean breathed and Castiel couldn’t help but imagine the alpha slowly unzipping his jeans as they conversed. “Describe it.”

Castiel’s breath was a little shaky. He’d never done anything like this before; not even with Michael. He couldn’t tell whether he was nervous or excited.

“…I… I’d…” Castiel’s mind drew a blank. What was he supposed to say? 

“Want to know what I’d do to you?” Asked Dean, seemingly sensing the omega’s panic and Castiel nodded before realising that action was pointless. He made a soft noise of agreement.

There was a slight pause before Dean’s voice filtered through again. He sounded like he was smiling.

“First, I’d kiss your sweet lips. I’d taste every inch of your pretty mouth like I’ve wanted to since that first day I saw you. Then I’d move onto your jaw. I’d kiss your stubble and mouth at your skin and suck your throat and nuzzle your neck. You have no idea how much I love that neck of yours. It’s so perfect for tasting; I get hot just thinking about running my tongue along it. I’d make sure I didn’t leave a single millimetre of skin untouched before I moved onto your cheeks. I’d pepper kisses over those soft cheeks of yours before moving onto your nose and then your temple. I just want to press my face into your fluffy hair, Angel. Want to scent you and kiss your hair. Want to kiss every part of you. So beautiful.”

Castiel’s heart was thumping so loud he was convinced Dean could hear it. This wasn’t going at all like he’d thought. He’d assumed Dean would spin some fantasy sex scene; something wild and rough and maybe anatomically impossible.

He hadn’t expected the alpha to describe everything he wished his own mate would do to him. Hadn’t expected the alpha to be so tender with his words.

Castiel’s heart ached for that kind of companionship.

“I’d make you strip for me,” continued Dean, oblivious to Castiel’s inner turmoil. “So I could kiss your chest and suck your nipples and press my lips to your stomach. I can picture your quiet breaths and your gentle moans. I’d love to hear you moan for me. I want you to moan my name. Want to see you relax underneath me as I worship your body. Want to feel your soft hands on my back as I trail my tongue over your belly. Want to be wrapped up in your sweet scent as you let go completely and let me take care of you. Want to watch you come completely undone beneath me.”

Castiel couldn’t deal with this. He couldn’t deal with Dean describing everything he wished he had with Michael. He couldn’t listen to this alpha offer him everything he wanted when he was supposed to hate the man. Dean was a criminal!

He squeezed his eyes shut at the idea of Dean touching himself as he spoke. He felt his trousers tighten and he shifted again, realising he had to stop this. 

“Why do you do this?” He asked suddenly, attempting to change the subject and there was a confused pause from the other end of the line.

“…Um… You started it?”

Castiel shook his head. “Why do you steal?” He clarified and Dean fell silent once more.

“Because I’m good at it,” he eventually replied and Castiel frowned.

“People aren’t born with the ability to steal. It’s a skill that’s learned. So, why did you learn?”

“Why’d you become a cop?” Dean asked, suddenly defensive. “Why become a detective?”

Castiel paused as he had a flashback to the night he’d found his parents. Fifteen years old. The taxi had dropped him off after a party that he hadn’t even wanted to go to. His so-called ‘friends’ had begged for him to go but it turned out they just wanted to get him drunk. He’d returned home in the early hours of the morning, mainly sober and assumed his parents were asleep since the house was dark.

Then he’d noticed the shattered window and when he finally managed to get the key into the lock, he rushed into the living room to find both his mother and father soaked in a pool of their own blood, bullet holes between their eyes and bodies slumped over the floor.

He remembered ringing the police to report a murder, which had later turned out to be part of a robbery as well, but the following weeks were a blur in Castiel’s memory. He knew he was taken to an orphanage or ‘Youth hostel’ as the owner had called it, but he couldn’t remember who took him there or how. He just remembered crying a lot and feeling empty inside.

He considered, very briefly, taking his own life at one point, but quickly dismissed the idea because what would that solve? The killer was still out there and Castiel needed a new purpose. He decided catching criminals and serving justice would give him that purpose; maybe he could save another family from the trauma he’d experienced.

“My parents,” Castiel replied softly after a long few moments. He hadn’t discussed his parents in years; hadn’t even seen a therapist when he’d lost them, yet for some reason, he felt as though he could trust Dean with this. It was an odd feeling.

When Dean didn’t answer, Castiel continued.

“Armed robbery. I came home one evening after a party and they were both dead, holes in their heads. I was fifteen and had no other family. No aunties or uncles; my remaining grandparents were in a care home for dementia patients. I had no one to talk to or cry with.” Castiel closed his eyes and felt a single tear drop roll down his cheek. He hadn’t cried in nearly a decade. “All the thief took was a TV and a hundred dollars. That was all my parents’ lives were worth,” he said with a bitter chuckle. His voice was shaky.

Castiel wiped his eyes on his sleeve and was surprised when the material came back damp.

“You became part of the force to find this guy?” Asked Dean quietly, tone serious for once.

“I joined the force to stop other families from going through what I have,” corrected Castiel. “I joined the force to stop criminals from ruining innocent people’s lives.”

A tense silence fell between them, punctuated by Castiel’s gentle sniffles, but neither man seemed to want to end the call on such a morbid note.

“I do what I can with the opportunities I’ve been given,” murmured Dean after a few minutes and Castiel realised that was the saddest thing he’d ever heard the alpha say. It made his chest constrict painfully.

“My mom died when I was four. She was an alpha and she worked whilst my omega dad looked after me and my little brother, Sam. The plan was when I was old enough to be in the house on my own, Dad would start working full time. Mom worked for the fire department and whilst she never brought home that much, it was enough to get us through each week. 

“One day she didn’t come home though and we got a call that she’d died in the line of duty. A building collapsed on her and no one could get to her in time before the fire swallowed everything. Dad was distraught and we had to move house because we couldn’t afford the mortgage. His only job had been fixing cars in our driveway for a bit of spare cash, but when we moved, he lost the customers and we ended up sleeping on the streets because no one would give Dad a chance.

“We had nothing and Sammy was just a baby, so dad started stealing things just to keep us alive; a bit of food here, a blanket there. He tried so hard to get real work, but one day when he snatched a loaf of bread from a shop, he got caught and then managers were even more determined not to hire him, so Dad stopped trying to find work.

“Dad taught me how to steal when I was five. We moved to a different town each month so shops didn’t get used to seeing us around and I learned how to steal bits of food. As I got older, I got better at staying undetected and I learned how to steal bigger and better things.

“Sam and I went to school like all the other kids and Dad felt bad for us when they made fun of our clothes and the fact we never had any lunch, but he could only give us what he could take and we knew he was trying his best. 

“However, when Sam turned sixteen, he started talking about going to college like his friends and Dad had to tell him he couldn’t go because there was no way we could afford it. Sam was… upset. He wanted to be ‘normal’ he said. They used to argue about it all the time and I would back Dad up meaning Sam and I argued about it too. We could be pretty nasty with each other because I wanted him to see that Dad was doing his best and he wanted me to see that we were relying on theft instead of trying to get a job. I told him to get a job if he thought it was so easy and when he couldn’t, I laughed. Eventually when Sam turned eighteen, he left in the middle of the night. Moved to California, to be closer to Stanford and we never heard from him again.

“Dad was… hollow after that. A shell of himself. He’d lost his mate and his son and he had no home or money. He kept on saying everything was his fault and that he was sorry he’d screwed up with us. He got sick one Winter and died in late Spring. Pneumonia, I think. The doctors wouldn’t treat him because he couldn’t pay for it.

“I was angry with Sam at first. I blamed him for everything. Then I came to realise he was right; I needed to try to work so I didn’t end up like Dad. I tried so hard to get hired; moved half-way across the country, but I’d been caught stealing a few times in my younger years and nobody wanted to risk taking me on. 

“I realised I had no options, so I just kept on doing what I was good at. I suppose I’m not proud of the things I’ve done, but I don’t consider myself a bad guy. I take what I need and I’m in fairly decent health. Sometimes I even save the lives of a few holiday-makers.”

The alpha fell silent once more and Castiel realised his eyes were leaking for an entirely different reason now.

“…You’re not a bad person, Dean,” he whispered and the alpha hesitated.

“Thanks, Cas.”

The omega closed his eyes and sighed. After all that, he would still have to arrest Dean if he ever caught him; the man was still a thief even if he hadn’t deserved all he’d faced.

Life wasn’t fair.

“…Is everything alright with you?” Asked Dean suddenly, taking the omega off guard. “…Are you… happy?”

Castiel thought it an odd question considering what they’d just discussed.

“…I’m… coping. My parents’ deaths were a long time ago.”

“That’s not what I meant,” said Dean quietly. “I mean… are you okay at home? Are you happy when you’re not at work?”

Castiel stiffened. What was Dean getting at? Was he… was he referring to Michael? He couldn’t be. The alpha didn’t know Michael.

“I’m fine,” said Castiel, a little curtly and Dean didn’t speak for a long while.

“…Okay. Well… if you ever need to talk about anything… just… um…” The alpha trailed off as he realised he didn’t know how to finish that sentence.

“Just call?” Asked Castiel drily and Dean chuckled.

“I realised the problem with that as I said it.”

A small smile tugged at Castiel’s lips. “I appreciate the sentiment either way.”

“I mean… I’d give you my number… but with you being a cop and all…” Dean was beginning to stumble over his words and Castiel huffed out a surprised laugh as he realised the alpha was _nervous_. 

Dean Winchester was never nervous. He was cocky and overconfident and new the exact words to say in whatever situation he was facing. He dodged the law with ease and had mischievous eyes and a smug smirk. He did not stumble over his own words like a kid with a crush.

“Maybe not the best idea. Wouldn’t want you getting arrested, would we?” Teased Castiel and Dean chuckled.

“Yeah. Wait. I mean… no.”

Dean was adorable, Castiel decided.

“Although, I wouldn’t mind seeing your handsome smile again.” Castiel was winding the alpha up now but he was having too much fun to stop.

“I wouldn’t mind that either,” Dean replied quickly before pausing and correcting himself. “I mean I wouldn’t mind you seeing me. Well, me seeing you. I’m gonna stop talking.”

Castiel laughed warmly, his eyes crinkling with joy. It was a sound he hadn’t heard from himself in a very long time.

“You should laugh more often,” Dean murmured when Castiel sobered. “Suits you.”

The omega smiled, touched. “That wouldn’t happen to be a flirtation, would it?” He hummed playfully and Dean snickered.

“Is it working?”

“Not in the slightest,” Castiel lied and Dean made a sound of acknowledgement.

“Then no. It’s just a thieving alpha telling an amazing omega how beautiful he is because he doesn’t seem to realise it.”

Castiel was smiling wide and bright. He shouldn’t get along so well with Dean but he did and he was maybe a little grateful for it.

“I see,” commented Castiel. “Continue.”

“You have gorgeous eyes, Angel,” Dean grinned. “Bluer than the ocean and with sparkles brighter than a diamond. I could drown in them.”

“Do you say that to all the omegas?” Teased Castiel.

“No. Just you,” said Dean sincerely and Castiel was genuinely surprised by the blunt confession. 

“It’s wrong to lie, Dean. You might get my hopes up,” said Castiel lightly, ignoring the little flutter in his chest.

“I’m not lying,” chuckled Dean. “I flirt with everyone but you’re the only one where it means anything.”

Castiel was shocked by that answer. He’d always assumed Dean’s flirting and teasing was meaningless banter or a way to embarrass him in front of his colleagues. Afterall, ninety-five percent of the police force was alpha-based; they were stronger and usually more aggressive than omegas and betas so it was very rare there was an officer, detective or chief who wasn’t an alpha. Castiel was the only omega in the station (not counting forensics and secretaries) and that was probably because he was rather large for an omega.

He’d always assumed Dean was flirting with him because he was an omega member of the force. 

“I told you, Cas; I like you,” said Dean. “I like you a lot. If things had been different, I might’ve taken you out for coffee some time.”

Castiel absorbed this information with surprise. 

“…I’d have liked that,” he decided after a few moments and there was another pause before Dean sighed and broke the tension.

“Well, I’ll let you get on with your work. I think I’ve distracted you enough and you have criminals to catch and people to protect. You have a good night, Cas.”

“You too,” said the omega, disappointment curling in his stomach. “Oh, and Dean?”

“Hm?”

“Life’s too short to hold grudges. Don’t be mad at your brother. I’m sure he misses you just as much as you miss him.”

“…I never said I- ”

“I’m a detective, Dean. It’s my job to read between the lines.”

“…What if… what if he doesn’t?”

“He will. He will if he sees you again. Find him, Dean.”

“…Okay, Cas. I will.”

When the line clicked off, Castiel realised he’d forgotten all about Michael and Anna. He glanced at the phone and realised he was happy right where he was.


	4. Chapter 4

Castiel had never met Michael’s brother. The alpha had a younger brother with whom he never got along with. He was called ‘Lucifer’ and he too was an alpha. Apparently, they fought constantly as children; challenged each other over everything and as they got older, the fighting and yelling turned into full-blown punches and alpha aggression. Their parents had to separate them nearly every day and they’d actually managed to hospitalise each other a few times in the past.

When Michael finally moved out of his parents’ house, the brothers stopped speaking and Michael hadn’t seen Lucifer since.

That’s why Castiel was so shocked when he came home after work one afternoon to find his mate and brother-in-law sat opposite each other in the living room, both looking like they were going to go for each other’s throats at any second.

“Michael,” Castiel greeted quietly as he placed his jacket on the hook behind the door. He glanced at Lucifer warily. He’d seen pictures but he’d never expected the other alpha to be so tall and intimidating. He looked so different to Michael that it was surprising the pair were related.

Michael’s gaze flicked over to him sharply and Castiel shuddered when Lucifer looked over his body with blatant interest. He smiled at the omega slowly and Castiel immediately averted his gaze.

“Will you make us all a drink, Castiel?” Asked Michael, tone clipped and clearly agitated. “Coffee.”

“Milk and two sugars, sweetheart,” purred Lucifer and Michael shot him a withering glare. Castiel nodded obediently and traipsed into the kitchen. He heard the two alphas speaking lowly in the living room and he hoped Lucifer wasn’t going to stay for much longer. Michael was hard to placate when he was angry.

When the omega returned with the drinks, he offered the first one to Lucifer and the alpha winked at him and brushed his fingers across his wrist before taking the coffee. When Castiel turned to Michael, his mate was scowling.

He gave Michael his drink before sitting beside the alpha, away from Lucifer.

“You’ve got a good-looking omega, brother. Young and sweet-smelling. How’d you force him into mating you?” Teased Lucifer and Castiel shuffled a little closer to his mate because he really didn’t like this new alpha.

Michael wrapped an arm around his waist a little too tightly and Castiel could feel his nails digging crescents into his skin.

“Shut up, Lucifer. We’re here to talk about mother, so discuss the plan and leave. You’re not welcome here.”

Castiel glanced up at his mate, puzzled and Michael gazed down at him softly.

“Our mother died last night. Heart attack. We need to discuss funeral plans.”

Castiel nodded in understanding and placed a sympathetic kiss to his mate’s jaw as he wrapped a supportive arm around the alpha. Michael’s father had gone missing a few years ago. He was coming home from work but never made it to the front door and nobody knew what had happened. Since he’d never been sighted since, everyone had presumed the worst.

Michael smiled at him, small and warm and kissed his hair sweetly.

“We’re having her cremated and her ashes scattered,” stated Lucifer. “You know how much she loved Yellowstone.”

Michael bristled. “We are not scattering her ashes in Yellowstone. She never would’ve wanted that. She would want to be near her family.”

“Her family?” Scoffed Lucifer. “Oh please. She wanted to get away from us. She couldn’t cope with us half the time. We should at least give her some peace now she’s dead.”

“She’s our mother,” growled Michael. “How can you be so callous about this? She would want to be buried in an actual grave near her parents, in the place she grew up and died in.”

Lucifer snorted. “She hated this place. Dad went missing here, all her children’s fights were here, we hospitalised each other here. This city is full of bad memories for her. She wouldn’t want to spend her life _and_ death here.”

“We’re not scattering her ashes,” snapped Michael and Lucifer crossed his arms.

“You’re as controlling as ever, brother. For once, think about what mother wants.”

“I am,” Michael hissed. “You’re the one who’s provoking an argument. We could’ve dealt with this over the phone but you came here to cause problems because you can’t deal with mother’s passing.”

Lucifer stiffened and clenched his fists. “That’s not true. I came because I thought we could work together for mother’s sake, but you’re the same over-controlling ass you’ve always been.”

“No. You came to insult me and start a fight. It’s what you always do. You can’t get your way so you turn to violence. I remember all the omegas and betas you used to bring home. I remember them crying as they ran from the house. I remember the alphas you used to pick on in the lower grades; the broken bones and bruises you caused them.”

Lucifer narrowed his eyes. “And I remember Hannah,” he growled. “The sweet omega you dated when you were sixteen. I remember the bruises and the burns. Yet she still stayed with you. Two years she stayed with you before choking on her car’s exhaust fumes. Couldn’t cope with it all anymore, could she?” His gaze flitted to Castiel. “I wonder what kind of marks are under his shirt?”

“Get out,” snarled Michael, jumping to his feet. “Get out of my house. If you can’t be civil, then leave.”

Lucifer pulled himself to his feet with a glare. “We have mother’s funeral to discuss.”

“I’ll discuss nothing with you,” hissed Michael. “Mother was always ashamed of you anyway. I don’t know why you think you have a say in her passing. She hated how you turned out.”

Castiel recoiled as the room suddenly filled with alpha pheromones; aggressive and full of hatred and fury. Michael and Lucifer’s scents were overpowering and Castiel shrunk in on himself, omega instincts demanding he make himself look obedient and fragile so he didn’t get hurt.

“She was ashamed of _me_?” Seethed Lucifer. “You were the one she was frightened of. At least I never raised my hand to her!”

Michael lunged forwards and grabbed his brother by the collar. He threw him into a wall and the blond alpha hissed as pain flared down his spine. He was quick to retaliate though and drove his fist into Michael’s stomach.

Castiel watched the fight unfold and he gasped when both alphas began clawing and punching and kicking each other until they tripped and fell into the glass coffee table, shattering it into a million pieces.

Glass bit into skin and blood dripped over the carpet as both alphas groaned and slowly pulled themselves to their feet. Castiel thought that would be the end of it but then Lucifer grabbed a large shard of glass and looked ready to plunge into Michael’s shoulder, but the omega leapt to his feet and shoved at Lucifer. The shard tore through Castiel’s hand instead and the omega yelped in a combination of surprise and agony and Michael whirled to face him, eyes widening at the wound.

He snarled at Lucifer and clenched his fists, ready to lay into the other alpha again, but Castiel gripped his wrist.

“Please,” he begged quietly and Michael paused and glanced at his bleeding hand. He sighed and nodded.

“Let’s get you cleaned up,” he murmured softly, gently guiding the omega towards their bathroom, but not before shooting Lucifer a dark look.

They took their time cleaning each other up and when they were finished, Michael buried his battered face into Castiel’s neck and scented him deeply as Castiel wrapped his arms around his lover.

“I’m sorry you had to meet him,” Michael murmured and Castiel kissed his head. “I don’t know why he came here.”

“You’re both upset,” whispered Castiel. “Your emotions are running high. Maybe… maybe he just wanted to be with the only family member he’s got left.”

Michael was quiet for a few moments. “We never got along. I don’t understand why he’d want to see me.”

“Maybe he wants to be with someone who’s going through the same things he’s going through?” Suggested Castiel and the alpha nuzzled his neck tenderly.

“Why are you always so level-headed? You know all the right things to say to keep me grounded.” He shifted to kiss his mate’s lips. “I love you so much, Castiel.”

The omega smiled and rubbed their noses together. “I love you too, Michael.”

After another needy kiss, Castiel sighed. “We need to clean him up too.”

Michael pouted. “I don’t want to. He hurt my mate.”

Castiel stroked his cheek with a fond smile. “Then how about you stay here and cool off a little and I’ll sort him out?”

Michael pressed their foreheads together. “You’re too good to me.”

“That’s my job.”

As Castiel made to stand, Michael carefully held his wrist.

“Be careful. Don’t let him hurt you.”

“I won’t,” assured Castiel, touched by his lover’s concern.

He grabbed the first aid kit and paced down the stairs and into the living room, expression softening at the sight of the other alpha sat on the floor, gingerly picking glass out of his skin and simultaneously trying to brush the glass fragments into a neat pile in the centre of the room.

When he heard Castiel’s approach, he looked up with wide eyes, almost nervously but he cocked an eyebrow when he noticed who was watching him. He glanced at the kit in Castiel’s hand.

“Michael wants me to patch you up,” offered Castiel, hoping he could build a bridge between the brothers. Lucifer looked like he didn’t believe him.

“Don’t lie, sweetheart. It’s unbecoming of you. Michael doesn’t want to be anywhere near me right now.”

Castiel dropped his gaze and Lucifer snorted.

“See? I know my brother quite well.”

The omega sighed internally and shuffled towards the strange alpha. Lucifer watched him in silence as he kneeled in front of him and opened the first aid kit. He produced a clean damp cloth he’d dumped in there after tending to Michael and glanced at the other alpha in query. 

Lucifer nodded and remained still as Castiel slowly rubbed the cloth over his face, removing the blood and particles of glass still lodged in his injuries.

“I’m surprised Michael let you do this,” commented Lucifer and Castiel tilted his head.

“He cares for you even if it doesn’t seem like it. I don’t think he wants you to suffer for long.”

Lucifer quirked an eyebrow. “I highly doubt that.”

“Trust me, he does,” hummed Castiel. “He didn’t exactly protest when I offered to tend to you. Don’t forget, you’re the only family he’s got left. He doesn’t want to lose you too.”

Lucifer stared at him oddly, as if he was starting to believe his words.

“He has an odd way of showing it.”

“So do you,” said Castiel lightly and Lucifer frowned.

“I don’t care what happens to Michael.”

“Then why come here? If you truly hated each other, you wouldn’t have each other’s phone numbers, yet you do. You might disagree a lot, but you still care about each other. Just because you fight, it doesn’t mean you don’t love each other.”

Lucifer stared at him in surprise and Castiel offered him a knowing smile.

“You’re both upset about your mother. You’re lashing out at each other because you don’t know how else to get rid of your frustration and shock. We all mourn differently, but I will ask: do you really think your mother would be happy at seeing you both fighting over her? Just this once, try talking. I think you need each other.”

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience,” murmured Lucifer after a few moments and Castiel smiled sadly as he applied healing cream to a particularly nasty gash on Lucifer’s cheek.

“I lost both my parents tragically on the same day. I had no one to talk to and I know that bottling everything up was a terrible idea. It physically hurt and today I still can’t really talk or think about them, not even to Michael.”

Lucifer’s gaze softened and he gently squeezed the omega’s shoulder. His hand remained there.

“Michael said you were a good detective,” murmured Lucifer and Castiel’s chest lifted slightly at the idea his lover had told his brother of him. “You’ve certainly got both of us figured out,” Lucifer smiled. His hand trailed down from Castiel’s shoulder to his upper arm.

“Sometimes you need an outsider’s view on a situation to help see things a little clearer,” commented Castiel, rubbing cream into a slice in Lucifer’s shoulder.

Lucifer was quiet for a few minutes before holding Castiel’s injured hand and running a gentle thumb over the bandages. 

“I’m sorry I hurt you,” he whispered and Castiel shook his head, trying to ignore how weird Lucifer holding his hand felt. 

“It was an accident. Don’t concern yourself over it.”

“I still want to apologise,” hummed Lucifer, slipping his hands around Castiel’s waist lightly. “You’ve been so good to me.”

Castiel paused and glanced down at Lucifer’s hands before looking up at the alpha in confusion.

“Umm… it’s okay. Really. May I… may I return to your injuries?”

“Sure, sweetheart,” smirked Lucifer, sliding his hands up and down Castiel’s sides. He slipped his fingers beneath the omega’s shirt, brushing bare skin and Castiel leaned backwards, cursing Lucifer’s long arms.

“Lucifer, please. This is inappropriate,” he muttered and the alpha’s smirk grew.

“What’s inappropriate?” He asked innocently as one hand smoothed over Castiel’s thigh.

Castiel frowned and caught his hands.

“ _That._ I’m mated to Michael,” reminded Castiel firmly.

Suddenly, Castiel was lying on the floor, Lucifer straddling him and face inches from his.

“Screw Michael,” he whispered, hand hitched up his shirt and brushing over warm skin. “You’re too pretty for him.”

Castiel’s eyes widened when the alpha crushed their lips together. He was rough and possessive and claimed his mouth like it was his to own and ravish.

“Lucifer!” Castiel hissed angrily when they broke apart to breathe but his anger morphed into shock when Lucifer began fumbling with his zip.

He shoved at the alpha’s chest. “Let me go,” he growled quietly, hoping Michael wouldn’t walk in on them in that position. Castiel couldn’t imagine the punishment he’d get if his mate thought he was cheating on him.

“Sshh, sweetheart. Keep quiet and he’ll never know,” breathed Lucifer before claiming Castiel’s mouth again to shut him up.

Castiel made a sound of protest when the alpha worked his trousers undone and began groping at him. Lucifer moved from groping to grinding against him and Castiel struggled to break free as the alpha’s hands roamed over his body, touching and feeling and claiming. 

“Get off me!” He snapped, uncaring if Michael heard them now. He just wanted Lucifer away from him.

“Sshhh!” Hissed Lucifer before nosing at his neck, scraping his teeth over Michael’s mating mark.

When the alpha began undoing his own jeans, Castiel panicked. He kicked and shoved at the alpha, trying to dislodge him, but Lucifer grew irritated and pinned his hands above his head and nipped at his neck harshly, leaving a small bruise.

“Quiet, omega. Be a good bitch,” he growled and Castiel snarled at him. He’d had enough of this. Time to utilise his police training. 

He kneed the alpha in the crotch and when Lucifer grunted, he headbutted his nose. The alpha cried out in pain and his hand immediately flew up to clutch at the damaged cartilage, so Castiel rammed the side of his hand into the alpha’s jugular, making him choke and release the omega’s other hand.

Castiel crashed his fist into the alpha’s abdomen and Lucifer whined as he doubled over and the omega wrapped his legs around the alpha’s waist and rolled him to the floor, pinning him with a growl. To ensure the alpha stayed down, Castiel stamped on his half-formed erection and when Lucifer howled in agony, the omega slammed his palm into his chin, forcing his head backwards until his throat was bared in a humiliating submissive position used regularly by the police to restrain criminals.

“Stay,” growled Castiel lowly as he heard Michael running down the steps at the ruckus. Lucifer gulped, breathing heavy and body practically paralysed.

Michael stood frozen in the doorway, eyes wide as he took in the scene of Castiel holding down his brother.

“Your brother needs to leave,” Castiel said calmly, glancing up at Michael.

Michael blinked. “…What happened?”

“He’s very distraught by your mother’s passing and I’m afraid he’s not in his right mind at the moment. I think he needs to process what has happened at home.”

Michael looked confused but he nodded, still dumbstruck by the fact that Lucifer was trapped beneath Castiel’s body, unable to speak or move.

“Could you help him to his car?” Asked Castiel politely and Michael nodded again as Castiel stood and stepped over Lucifer.

Lucifer wiped the blood from his nose and waggled his jaw a few times to loosen it. Then he glowered at Castiel as Michael cautiously guided him out of the house.

Castiel watched him leave dispassionately and once he left the threshold, he sighed and zipped himself up and wandered into the kitchen for a stiff drink.

Why did alphas assume omegas were their property? He would never understand it.

It was twenty minutes before the front door opened and closed again and Castiel could tell by Michael’s gait that something was wrong. He placed his washed glass in the cupboard and waited patiently for his mate to join him.

Michael was immediately on him, claiming his mouth with a possessive growl, hands touching every part of him as he pressed the omega into the counter.

“He told me what he did,” bit out Michael and Castiel stiffened, noting the new blood on Michael’s shirt and face. Did the alpha think Castiel had wanted Lucifer…?

“I’m proud of you for defending yourself,” breathed Michael, nipping at his jaw. He snarled when he noticed the tiny mark Lucifer had left.

“My omega,” he hissed before forcing Castiel’s head backwards and biting another deep mating mark into the skin Lucifer had claimed.

Castiel whimpered. That had hurt. He hadn’t expected the alpha to claim him so violently.

Michael paid no heed to his whimper and began to rip his clothes off, biting and growling and laving new bruises and teeth marks over his skin. Even his hands were gripping tight enough to mar the flesh.

“I’ll always be your omega,” whispered Castiel. “You know that.” He winced at another deep bite into his shoulder.

“Bedroom,” rumbled Michael. “All fours.”

Castiel grimaced. The last thing on his mind was sex after what Lucifer had tried to do to him. Yet he didn’t want to displease his mate.

He let Michael herd him into their bedroom and when the alpha was rough with him and squeezed his bandaged hand too hard when he mounted him, Castiel held back his whines.

 

* * *

 

Castiel limped into work the next morning. Everything ached and his hand was beginning to throb. Balthazar eyed him worriedly and ushered him into a corner.

“What happened?” He asked and Castiel shook his head.

“Cooking accident. Fell over a chair and caught my hand on the knife,” he lied. He’d become adept at lying about his injuries.

Balthazar frowned. The alpha had long since stopped believing Castiel was so clumsy but he didn’t know how to make the omega admit to any troubles he seemed to be having at home.

“Cassie, please,” Balthazar begged softly. “Is there something going on between you and Michael?”

“No,” Castiel replied as usual. Balthazar sighed and closed his eyes. He’d given up pestering the omega for the truth; Castiel was the most stubborn man he’d ever met.

“Well… Dean’s just called. He wants to speak to you.”

Castiel visibly perked up and Balthazar couldn’t help but quirk a smile. The omega may pretend to hate the arrogant thief, but it was clear Castiel enjoyed bantering with the alpha.

“Transfer him,” ordered Castiel and Balthazar nodded as the omega made his way to his desk, folding his jacket over his chair and settling in. He picked up the flashing phone.

“Dean?”

“Heya, Cas!” Chirped Dean eagerly. “I took your advice and I went to see my brother!” The alpha sounded like an excited child. “Oh, man, he’s doing great! He got into law school and he’s top of his class and he has so many friends! He’s even got a girlfriend! I knew the kid was smart but, Cas, if you’d seen what I saw… I’m so proud of him. He just… he did it. He got to follow his dream and he looks so happy.” He trailed off in the tone of a proud parent and Castiel felt a smile crawl across his face as his surrounding colleagues glanced at each other in confusion.

“You sorted things out between you both? Well done, Dean.”

“Uh… not exactly,” mumbled Dean and Castiel could picture him scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. He frowned.

“What do you mean?”

“…Well… we didn’t exactly… speak to each other. I sort of… followed him around for a bit after I saw him heading home from class.”

“Because that doesn’t sound like a psychotic murderer stalking his victim. Did you shadow the girlfriend too?” Castiel asked sarcastically.

“Of course not!” Dean stated indignantly before quietening down. “I just… I didn’t want to intrude, y’know? He’s really happy now and there’s no way he’d want his messed-up criminal of a brother crashing back into his life.”

Castiel frowned. “How do you know if you never talk to him?”

“Well I…” Dean trailed off and Castiel’s colleagues began to murmur and mumble between themselves, puzzled at the whole conversation.

“Next time, actually talk to him,” said Castiel and Dean chuckled nervously.

“Right, yeah… okay.”

“Well, that was touching but do you have a case for us, Winchester or did you just call to chat to your not-so-secret crush?” Drawled Crowley as he leaned against the doorframe to his office.

Castiel averted his gaze as Dean chuckled.

“A little of both, actually. Now that the first part’s over though, I guess I should tell you about the Roman tower?”

Crowley arched an eyebrow as Castiel settled into his professional mode.

“What are you stealing at the Roman tower?” Castiel asked, grabbing a notepad and pen.

“Not stealing. Trading.”

A round of murmuring. Castiel frowned.

“Trading what?”

“Eleven o’clock tonight, when the building is in shutdown, a small group of business men are going to meet on the tenth floor. They have five cases which they will be trading with five highly capable criminals for the assurance of the murder of certain members of the government.”

Castiel stiffened and scribbled on his notepad.

“What’s in these cases?”

“Well, it ain’t hand pistols, I can tell you that. Try something more… explosive-y.”

“And you just so happen to be one of the criminals selected to take part in this job?”

“You know me, Angel. I can sweet-talk anybody. Although my reputation of evading the law caught probably helped.” Dean was grinning, but Castiel didn’t find the situation very humorous.

“And you expect them to just let you walk free after whatever task they want you to perform?”

“Of course not. I’ll probably get a bullet between the eyes once I’ve done whatever they want me to do; two when they realise I’m not going to follow orders,” scoffed Dean as if he wasn’t at high risk of being killed after walking out of that building.

“If you never planned on killing anybody, why take the job?” Asked Castiel, bewildered.

“Because the way I see it, if I take one out of the five cases, that means less innocent people are gonna die. Plus, it also means I can drop the case off with you guys and you can find out who’s supplying these weapons and shut them down so no one else gets hurt.”

“But it means your life is at risk,” Castiel pointed out. 

“I never said my plan was perfect.”

“Then don’t walk into that tower,” pleaded Castiel. “You’ve given us the information. Don’t get involved with this. Let us do our jobs.”

“And what if you don’t get there in time?” Asked Dean. “That’s more innocent lives at stake. No offence, but you guys haven’t always been the quickest at responding to emergencies. I don’t want to take any chances.”

“Dean… you realise if we catch you in that building, we have to treat you as though you’re part of that job? Treason gets a much more severe sentence than thieving does,” said Castiel quietly. 

“Well, let’s hope my lucky streak of escapes continues through this job, huh?” Murmured Dean and Castiel’s chest constricted in something akin to dread and worry.

“Don’t do this,” he begged and Dean huffed out a soft laugh.

“Don’t worry about me, Angel. Just be careful when you go after these guys. They’re not amateurs. There’s a reason they’ve not been caught so far.”

Castiel sighed. “Any idea who they are?”

Dean hesitated. “I probably shouldn’t be telling you all this, but y’know Richard Roman?”

Castiel snorted. “Who doesn’t? He owns pretty much every food and drink supplier in the city.”

“Apparently that’s not all he owns.”

There was a moment of stunned silence around the station, everyone gaping at the phone in Castiel’s hand.

“Are you sure?” Castiel breathed. “You’re sure it’s him behind this?”

“I’m watching him converse with one of the other clients right now.”

“Dean, get out of there!” Castiel hissed. “Who knows who’s watching you?”

“Aww… look at you getting all concerned over me. Can I call you ‘mother’?”

“Stop messing around. Get somewhere safe.”

“Yes, mother. Want me to call when I get home or would you prefer a text? Can you tuck me into bed too?”

_“Dean.”_

“Alright, alright, I’m going. Maybe I’ll see you tonight around eleven. It’ll be like a date. Or not. I think I’ll have to dump you. Sorry.”

“As long as you don’t die, I don’t care if you stand me up,” muttered Castiel. “Just don’t do anything stupid.”

“No promises.”

The line clicked off and Castiel let his head fall into his hands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm going for 7 chapters, but since I never meet my targets it'll probably be longer. Hope you're enjoying.


	5. Chapter 5

The bullet-proof vest weighed heavy on his chest and his helmet and visor were more of annoyance than any use but Castiel remained silent in the van, watching the monitors for any signs they’d been spotted. So far, everything was going to plan and Castiel watched as yet another client stepped into the blacked-out building. That made five clients now and Castiel checked his watch.

Three minutes to eleven.

He glanced at Balthazar, Benny, Ruby and Victor and gestured for them to follow and they nodded and silently shadowed him out of the van. There were three more teams of police entering the building and Castiel nodded at Raphael before locating the fire escape in order to avoid any cameras.

They crept up the stairs, weapons in hand and when they came to the tenth floor, they paused and listened for any sounds. They heard quiet conversation within the building and Ruby picked the lock on the fire door allowing the team to enter the tower.

They prowled down the corridor and paused when they heard the conversation’s source. They stilled, weapons at the ready as they waited for one of the other teams to join them and by the time Raphael’s team found them, it was clear the clients were about to be dismissed.

Castiel’s heart thumped loudly in his chest. He prayed Dean wouldn’t be in the room when they stampeded in but he knew the alpha probably would be. After everything Dean had confessed to him, he really didn’t want the alpha to be serving life in prison… or worse.

Raphael began counting down silently and Castiel took a deep breath, gripping his gun tightly to ground himself.

They smashed through the door, startling the criminals inside and as they aimed their weapons at the business men, Castiel heard himself yelling.

“Hands where we can see them! Hands up! Get them up!”

The clients slowly raised their hands and Castiel’s heart sunk when he noticed Dean amongst them. The alpha offered him a small smile as he held his hands up.

“You have the right to remain silent,” Raphael began but was suddenly cut off as a bullet sliced through his leg. He shouted in surprise as pain burst up the limb and Castiel immediately found the source of the bullet.

Richard Roman looked furious and with the gun still cocked in his hand, Castiel had no doubt who’d shot the other detective. 

“Weapon on the ground!” Barked Castiel, aiming for Roman’s head but the business man merely smiled and suddenly, all his lackeys were producing their own hand pistols and taking pot shots at the police.

“Down!” Castiel yelled and the teams dropped to the floor, hoping their vests and helmets would protect them against the onslaught.

Castiel looked up as the barrage of bullets started to thin and he aimed his weapon at the legs of the escaping criminals.

Three fell with groans of agony, but four clients and Roman and his right-hand man managed to flee with the cases. Castiel would never admit to being happy that Dean was one of them.

The police leapt to their feet and sprinted after them, splitting ways when there were multiple possible directions for the criminals to escape in.

Castiel and his team split again when they noticed the criminals had separated and he, Benny and Balthazar raced after Roman and a man they knew as Edgar Collins; Roman’s right-hand.

The pair flew down the stairs with the police hot on their heels and Roman bounded through the door to the fifth floor as Edgar continued his descent with one of the cases.

“Go!” Shouted Castiel and Balthazar and Benny continued to trail Edgar as Castiel flung himself through the door to the fifth floor. He bounded through the corridors and cursed when Roman took one too many turns and he lost sight of the man.

He heard a thud from one of the concealed meeting rooms and cocked his weapon as he stalked towards the door.

“Freeze!” He snarled as he burst through the door and his eyes widened when a pair of emerald eyes blinked back at him.

“…Dean?” He whispered as the alpha held his hands up obediently, gaze flicking towards the case he’d snatched. He grinned at Castiel.

“Guess my luck’s run dry, huh?”

Castiel sagged slightly but unclipped the cuffs from his belt as Dean offered his hands.

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and may be used against you in a court of law- ” He stopped himself when he heard a noise from the other side of the meeting room. With a frown, he stalked towards the door silently and jumped out of it, aiming his weapon towards the source of the sound.

He gasped when he came face-to-face with Roman, a gun pressed against his chest.

Before he could register what had happened, he was on the floor, blood seeping through his vest and chest burning in agony.

His senses were working overtime and he watched Roman race towards the fire escape, Dean rushing through the meeting room’s other exit to join Roman in his escape. 

Castiel suddenly couldn’t breathe. He knew he needed to put pressure on the wound, but the vest was too thick and he couldn’t pull it off because he couldn’t move. His heart was racing and there were tears in his eyes as he realised his shouts for help would go unheard on this floor. Why had he chased after Roman on his own?

“Help!” He begged anyway, voice weak as pain flared through his body. “Help!” He cried a little louder, before realising his voice was muffled behind his helmet. With a curse, he ripped off his helmet and shouted again, trying not to watch the blood leak over his vest.

He tried to sit up, but the agony from that movement left him winded so he stopped and lay still, closing his eyes and trying to calm his pulse.

He was going to die.

 

* * *

 

The second Castiel had jumped out of that door, Dean had grabbed the case and made a break for it. He’d heard the gunshot and assumed one of the other clients or maybe Roman or one of his associates had just been downed, so he pushed himself faster, racing through the fire escape before Castiel had a chance to catch up with him again. He wasn’t planning on spending his life in prison.

But then he’d noticed Roman thundering down the stairs and his heart nearly stopped when he heard Castiel’s desperate plea for help.

He paused and glanced back to the door. If he walked back through that door, he would spend the rest of his life behind bars. If he didn’t walk back through that door, Castiel would die. It would be too late before anyone found the omega, especially in a building of this size.

Dean closed his eyes and rammed the case between the door and its frame before it had a chance to lock.

 

* * *

 

“Help!” Castiel cried again, breathing laboured as he scrabbled at his vest.

He heard footsteps approach from the direction of the fire route and sobbed quietly.

“No, please!” He begged, assuming it was Roman coming to finish him off, but then hands were on him, tugging at his vest and freeing his chest so it was easier to breathe.

He looked up to find Dean leaning over him, gaze panicked at the amount of blood seeping into Castiel’s shirt.

He fumbled for his phone as he put pressure on the wound and glanced at Castiel apologetically when the omega hissed in pain.

“Ambulance,” hurried Dean, squishing the phone between his ear and shoulder as he used both hands to put pressure on Castiel’s chest. “Roman tower, fifth floor, West side. A man’s been shot. Police. He’s bleeding heavily from his chest.”

There was some mumbling from down the phone and Dean made a sound of agreement before unbuttoning Castiel’s shirt and removing it from the wound before he covered the hole with his hands again.

“Thank you,” Dean said before ending the call and thrusting the phone into his pocket again.

Castiel gazed up at him, stunned.

“Ambulance is on its way. You’re gonna be fine, Cas,” whispered Dean, eyes sparkling with worry. 

“…You came back,” breathed Castiel and Dean quirked a small smile.

“Couldn’t let my favourite detective die, could I?”

Castiel knew how big of a decision this must have been for the alpha. He was risking his future to save Castiel’s.

“Thank you,” whispered Castiel sincerely and Dean smiled weakly.

“Don’t speak, Angel. I need you to lie very still, okay?”

Castiel gulped and tried to relax and he didn’t know why, but he felt a lot better when Dean moved to straddle him in order to get a better angle for keeping pressure on his chest.

Dean’s body was warm and inviting and Castiel realised he was cold because he was entering shock.

Dean must have noticed his shivering because he took off his jacket and placed it around the omega before returning his hands to their resting position over his wound.

“You’re alright,” whispered Dean and Castiel closed his eyes and focused on the alpha’s soothing voice. He could smell Dean’s leather and whisky scent and it was comforting even when flooded with anxiousness and worry. He wanted to press his nose into Dean’s neck.

“Don’t fall asleep, Angel,” Dean murmured and Castiel cracked an eye open to show he was still awake, merely focusing on the alpha.

“Keep talking,” he croaked and Dean gave him a reproachful look before nodding.

“Watching you take charge today… you have no idea how sexy that was. You barking out orders and cocking a gun like you were James Bond was probably the hottest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Castiel quirked an amused smile and Dean managed to return the expression.

“Even in a bullet-proof vest and a huge helmet you still look amazing and I don’t know how you do it but I’m going to be having dreams about you bursting through that meeting room door for weeks. You have no idea how much I wanted you to pin me to that wall and do unspeakable things to my body. Heck, when you showed me those cuffs I wasn’t sure if my knees would hold me up.”

Castiel grinned in a silent laugh and Dean smirked.

“You have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen, Cas. It’s like you hold the sky in them. And your lips… I hope you appreciate the restraint I’m using to prevent myself from leaning down and tasting them,” Dean teased, Castiel’s smile still bright. “And why is your hair so sexy even though it’s been mussed in a helmet for probably an hour? I just want to run my hands through it. I bet it’s really soft.”

Castiel carefully placed his hand over Dean’s arm to show his appreciation for his efforts and the alpha’s expression dimmed.

“You’re gonna be okay, Cas. I promise. You’re gonna be fine,” he murmured.

Even if he wasn’t, Castiel was actually rather content. If he was going to die, this was a nice way to go.

They heard sirens growing louder and Dean released a breath of relief.

“See?” He whispered. “You’ll be fine.” Castiel wasn’t sure who the alpha was trying to convince anymore.

They waited for the sound of footsteps thundering up the stairs and when they could hear the paramedics racing down the corridors, Dean leaned down to press a gentle kiss to Castiel’s forehead.

“I’ll see you later, Angel,” he breathed and Castiel’s heart fluttered happily as the alpha sprung to his feet, grabbed his jacket and case and sprinted down the fire escape.

Five seconds later, Castiel was being loaded onto a stretcher.

 

* * *

 

Michael was all over him in hospital. He brought him flowers and chocolates and books and he kissed Castiel sweetly and panicked over him and told him how lonely it was without him in the house.

Castiel lapped the attention up. His mate had never been so attentive before and he wasn’t receiving any punishments so it felt as though he was being treated like royalty despite recently having a bullet removed from the space a centimetre above his heart. Once centimetre downwards and he would have been dead before Dean had got to him. 

He returned home after a few weeks with orders of bed rest and Michael cooked and cleaned and cuddled him in bed until his wound was nearly healed and he was able to return to work. 

He would have to get shot more often.

Castiel shook his head at himself with a smile as he strolled into the station, reassuring his friends when they swamped him and asked him a million-and-one questions about his well-being and crushed him into hugs. Even Crowley looked relieved to see him back.

“Dean gave us coordinates to pick up that case,” Crowley informed him when he made it to his desk. “Unfortunately, one of the clients, Metatron, managed to escape, but we got Roman and the others and they’re currently facing court which will hopefully turn into jail time.”

Castiel nodded. He’d seen the News and its report on the big business man facing charges of treason.

“How are you?” Crowley asked and Castiel smiled up at him.

“Great, actually.”

“The hospital said someone rang them about your situation when you were shot. They said that same person rang them three more times when you were admitted, all from an unknown number. Should I ask if you remember who that was?” Crowley asked although the way he was staring at Castiel suggested he already knew the answer.

“Dean heard the gunshot. He knew I was alone and came back to save me,” Castiel murmured softly and Crowley arched an eyebrow.

“…Be careful, Novak. No matter how good or kind you think he is, he’s still at the top of our wanted list. I wouldn’t like to see my best detective getting caught up in something… unlawful.”

“I won’t,” assured Castiel. “But the man did save my life. I think I have the right to be at least a little grateful.”

“As long as it doesn’t affect your work ethic, you can be grateful to whomever you want,” hummed Crowley. “It’s good to see you back,” he offered before gliding back to his office.

Castiel smiled to himself at the knowledge Dean had asked about him in hospital. It set him in a good mood for the rest of the day.

 

* * *

 

The LAPD didn’t hear anything from Dean for a while and Castiel had a feeling it was because the alpha was allowing him to recover fully after the shooting. Even though he couldn’t be sure, the idea was endearing. For the next couple of months, their cases were all pretty standard; an amateur robbery here, a drunk knifing there… the department was quiet.

Then came rumours of an underground prostitution business. The whole business was apparently run without the owner ever meeting the omegas he ‘rented out’ and nobody could get a track on the leader because they didn’t have a permanent address and as such, moved location every evening. They never took cash and all the omegas were paid via direct transfer, which was… a risky move for someone setting up an illegal business, yet somehow it worked.

The police decided they would have to infiltrate the operation by sending in an inside man. Unfortunately, there were very few omegas trained for that sort of job within the police force, because the police were mainly alphas.

Which meant Castiel was the omega chosen to act like a prostitute.

Whilst the police tried to get Castiel a job within the business, they heard about a request for all the business’ omegas to attend a party at ‘Bartholomew’s manor’ the following weekend. The party would last for two days and the omegas would be expected to stay over and ‘entertain’ the wealthy and somewhat questionable guests for the entire weekend.

Castiel had been given his opening and he planned on taking it.

At two P.M. on Saturday afternoon, Castiel found himself wearing a humiliating outfit with black strap-on Angel wings, no shirt and a pair of tight black leather pants. His colleagues were trying not to laugh because every time one them did, he’d hit them with the red thong they’d attempted to dress him in at first.

He was thankful all his bruises had faded and he could conceal the bullet scar with a ton of make-up.

He placed a tiny earpiece in his ear, giving him contact with his colleagues and hooked a mic to his underwear. Charlie, their beta tech expert, had been very precise about it being placed in his underwear and Castiel sincerely hoped it wasn’t because he’d have to take off his pants at some point. Fortunately, the device was small and barely noticeable, so Castiel placed it inside the waistband (which was just all kinds of wrong).

“Ready to go?” Asked Benny, resolutely trying to keep a straight face and Castiel narrowed his eyes at the alpha and brandished the thong warningly.

Balthazar snickered and received a thwack for his efforts before Castiel hopped out of the van and made his way to the entrance. He eyed the hulking security guard and expected to be asked for his name but the buff alpha clearly approved of his attire because his eyes roved over his frame and he opened the door for the omega. Castiel smiled at him coyly and as he stepped through the door, the alpha groped his rear.

Castiel shuddered and moved further into the manor.

The party was… grand. The decorations were elegant and tasteful and even though the house looked old, it was neatly polished and welcoming. The guests were a healthy mixture of alpha, beta and omega, which surprised Castiel and they were all well-dressed; no jeans or tacky outfits even if there were lots of short skirts and low-necked shirts.

The guests clearly had a lot of money and Castiel realised they were also of different nationalities. He wondered what type of business they dealt with if they attended parties like this.

It seemed as though the guests could venture wherever they liked within the manor and there were open buffets everywhere, each serving different types of food. Some people were dressed in robes after having been swimming and some were already making out with the prostitutes dressed in various ‘sexy’ outfits.

Castiel grimaced as he walked through the halls and described quietly what was going on. He could hear some of his colleagues wolf-whistling or asking him to shove cakes into his pants because they’d all missed lunch. To irk them, Castiel selected a delicate pastry of some sort and described every bite, even groaning softly when he was finished.

They laughed and told him he was cruel.

He explored the huge mansion and wondered just how many omegas the owner employed. There were prostitutes on every floor; all of them serving, flirting with or if the moaning behind some bedroom doors was anything to go by, pleasuring the guests.

Castiel talked to a couple of hired omegas and found out that the party was to celebrate Bartholomew’s new business and its success. Apparently, he’d only moved into the manor house three months ago and this was his way of rubbing elbows with the rich. Castiel began to connect the dots and when he learned that Bartholomew was an alpha, he began to suspect he was the leader of the new prostitution business that had sprung up in LA. All these omegas were bound to be bringing in a fortune.

Castiel surveyed the large pool area, hoping to get an idea of which smug, smarmy alpha went by the name of Bartholomew Rhodes. He turned his nose up at two alphas and an omega shamelessly getting off with a hired omega in one of the fancy hooded daybeds and popped another grape into his mouth.

A hand suddenly groped at his crotch and someone plastered themselves to his back and began grinding against him as they nipped at his jaw. Castiel had to restrain himself from elbowing the guy’s stomach and breaking his nose.

“How about we get you out of these tight pants, babe?” Purred the alpha and Castiel turned to face him only to stagger backwards when he pressed their lips together.

“I want to fill you up,” the ginger-haired alpha whispered. “I want to knot both your holes and then I want to watch you wrap your pretty lips around my fat knot until you can’t take any more. You won’t be able walk properly for days.” He nipped Castiel’s neck and scented him deeply. 

He could hear Benny and Balthazar growling protectively in his earpiece.

“Rip his knot off, Cassie,” rumbled Balthazar and Castiel had to choke back a laugh.

He eventually managed to prise the alpha off him.

“With an offer like that, how can I refuse?” Purred Castiel. “Go to room four, get yourself ready and I’ll join you. Want any toys?”

The alpha nodded eagerly. “Handcuffs.”

Castiel bit his lip to stop himself from chuckling. The alpha thought he was being coy.

“I’ll go grab a pair. See you in a minute.”

The alpha grinned enthusiastically and claimed Castiel’s mouth once more before rushing off to do as ordered.

Castiel snorted and wiped his mouth.

“Idiot,” he huffed as Benny and Balthazar snickered. He popped another grape in his mouth and continued surveying the pool area.

When he grew bored, he wandered the halls again, dodging the irate alpha who’d been upstairs waiting for him for an hour. Each room had a different theme, with each playing a certain genre of music and offering various selections of food and drink. Some were calm and peaceful with smooth jazz playing in the background whilst others were more party-like with hip-hop and dancing and people grinding against each other filthily.

Castiel was felt-up a few times and grinded on a few more times, but he managed to avoid all other advances.

Then he caught two female alphas eying him up from across the room. He was in one of the calmer areas, swing music lilting through the speakers and he did his best to avoid eye-contact with them but it was too late and the pair were already stalking their way over to him. He could see their long, delicately painted talons from where he was standing and he calculated the distance to the door and wondered if he’d make it in time.

Just as he started making his way over, picking up his pace when the women changed course to intercept him, a hand caught his shoulder.

“What’s a pretty Angel like you doing in a place like this?”

Castiel smiled before he even turned and when he finally faced the alpha who’d stopped him, he was met with an amused smirk and twinkling green eyes.

“Sorry, ladies. I got to him first,” he winked at the frowning alphas and they narrowed their eyes at him before pivoting on a deadly stiletto and gliding away, short, glittering dresses swishing out of sight.

Castiel breathed a sigh of relief as Dean placed a warm palm on his exposed back and led him into a quiet corner.

“So, Angel…” Dean drawled, glancing over Castiel’s fluffy black wings with a grin. “Never thought I’d see you change career paths.”

“Very funny, Dean,” huffed Castiel, crossing his arms disapprovingly. “I never expected you to be in the business of knotting hookers. Some of which are barely a day over sixteen.”

“Then it’s a good thing I don’t,” hummed Dean. “I’m here on a job, just as you are.”

Castiel blinked. “You’re here to steal something?”

“Not exactly. I’m here to get information.”

Castiel frowned. “About the hired omegas?”

Dean nodded. “I have my suspicions about the owner of the business.”

“Like he’s the one who organised this party?” Deadpanned Castiel. “An alpha loaning omegas to his guests. Sounds rather straightforward to me.”

Dean shook his head. “I don’t think Bartholomew’s the ring leader. In fact, I’m not convinced it’s an alpha at all. Or male for that matter. They’re getting away with far too much and it seems to me like they’re going undetected because they’re somebody nobody expects to run this sort of business.”

Castiel’s eyes widened and he lowered his voice. “…You don’t think it’s an omega who’s running this, do you?”

“That’s exactly what I think,” whispered Dean. He paused and tilted his head. “You getting all this, Benny?”

“How did- ”

“Next time you infiltrate an underground prostitution business, don’t describe every bite of your pastry to thin air,” smirked Dean and Castiel rolled his eyes. 

“You have no idea how much humiliation they put me through when they dressed me in this get-up. I had to hit them with a thong multiple times.”

Dean snickered. “Kinky.”

“Don’t make me hit you too.”

“Not at all,” hummed Dean. “I think you look hot.”

Castiel flushed red. “That’s worse!”

Suddenly, one of the female alphas from earlier eyed Castiel and Dean suspiciously and Dean carefully cupped the omega’s jaw.

“Play along,” he whispered before leaning in and gently pressing their lips together. Castiel made a noise of surprise but then Dean’s hand trailed upwards to cup his cheek and the alpha’s tongue flicked against his bottom lip and Castiel found himself enjoying the impromptu kiss. Dean smiled and Castiel allowed him access to his mouth and the alpha brushed their tongues together teasingly and stroked a thumb over his cheek bone.

Unaccustomed to such tender yet playful kissing, Castiel leaned into their kiss and Dean’s free hand slid between his shoulder blades as their tongues slid over one another again.

Castiel was disappointed when Dean slowly pulled away, but the alpha’s hands slipped around his waist as he smirked at the omega.

“What was that?” Asked Castiel, puzzled.

“The witches in satin were eyeballing us. Thought I’d make ‘em look away.”

Castiel raised an eyebrow. “A peck on the cheek would have been enough to do that.”

Dean winked. “Yeah, but I like taking advantage of beautiful, innocent omegas.”

Castiel rolled his eyes. “I’m far from innocent, Dean.”

“Alright. Then maybe I just wanted to see if you taste as good as you smell,” commented Dean and Castiel’s chest fluttered again. Dean still hadn’t released his hips and Castiel wasn’t inclined to ask him to.

The alpha glanced towards the exit and gestured towards it.

“C’mon. I’ll show you who I think is behind all this.”

Dean finally let go of him and Castiel would never admit to pouting when the alpha turned away. Dean made it precisely seven steps before Castiel had plastered himself to his side. The alpha glanced at him in surprise and Castiel stared back innocently.

“We’ve got to make this look authentic,” said Castiel solemnly and Dean chuckled and slipped an arm around his waist and tugged him closer.

“C’mon, baby. Let me show you a good time,” he teased and Castiel rolled his eyes again.

“Aren’t you supposed to be arresting me?” Asked Dean after a few minutes of wandering through halls and corridors and Castiel shrugged.

“If I do that, I’ll blow my cover. This case is more important.”

“Aww… I’m hurt. Don’t you think I’m important?”

“You can wait,” snorted Castiel and he didn’t protest when Dean began caressing his hip with his thumb. He wasn’t convinced the alpha knew he was doing it.

“So… how are you?” Asked Dean quietly, voice serious for once and Castiel cautiously laid his hand over the one Dean had on his hip.

“Alive, thanks to you,” he whispered.

Dean intertwined their fingers. “I can see that. I mean how are you feeling? Any lingering pain? Flashbacks? PTSD?”

“It aches every so often and I have a scar that’s being covered by a disturbing amount of makeup, but other than that I’m fine.”

“Good,” murmured Dean. “Glad to know you’re alright.” 

“Thank you, Dean,” Castiel whispered. “I mean it. You saved my life even though it put your future at risk.”

“Considering you’re currently attached to my hip, I reckon my future as a free man is still a concern,” hummed Dean and Castiel frowned because that was very true.

“There,” Dean said lowly, pulling Castiel to a halt as he nodded towards a tall, red-haired woman with cherry lips and sharp eyes. “Her name’s Abaddon Bell. I saw Bartholomew trying to pay her earlier but she refused and asked him to put it in her bank.”

Castiel tilted his head at the woman wearing a short red dress and killer heels. “And you think she’s the one who’s organising it all?”

“Recently rich but works as a teaching aid. Yeah, I’d say she’s suspicious.”

Castiel’s mouth drew into a thin line. “We need proof if we want to bring her in.”

Dean nodded and was about to ask how Castiel planned on doing that when the omega abruptly vanished from his side. Dean whirled to find the omega being pinned against the wall by a fuming alpha; the one Castiel had deceived earlier.

“We had a deal,” snarled ginger as he trapped Castiel’s wrists above his head. “And you left me waiting like a moron! Now I’m going to get what I paid for at this stupid party and you’re going to take my knot until I’ve had enough!”

Castiel opened his mouth to protest but the alpha hit him hard across the face.

“Keep quiet, whore!”

Dean grabbed the fuming alpha’s crotch and squeezed as harshly as he could as he plastered on a pleasant smile. 

“You’re gonna march back down those stairs and you’re not gonna look at the Angel for the rest of the party or else I’m going to rip your precious knot off, got it?” He tugged just to prove a point and the other alpha whined and nodded frantically.

“What gives you the right to speak to omegas that way, huh? Paid or not, learn some respect,” scolded Dean as he released ginger’s testicles. “Go on, get lost.”

Castiel glanced at Dean appreciatively and the alpha offered his hand. The omega took it and Dean massaged his wrist soothingly.

“You okay?” He asked and Castiel nodded and took a step closer to the alpha. He felt safe with Dean.

“Is everything alright here?” Asked a cold, precise voice and the pair turned to find Abaddon gazing at them. Her omega scent was masked by thick, nauseating perfume.

“Uh… yeah,” said Dean. “Just a jerk who thinks he can treat omegas like trash. Thought I’d teach him some respect.”

Abaddon narrowed her eyes at Dean and the alpha tried to glance away.

“I know you from somewhere…” said Abaddon suspiciously and Castiel remembered that Dean’s face had been all over the News and the papers. He needed to distract the other omega before she worked out that Dean wasn't supposed to be here.

“You know what? No! I’m not alright!” Cried Castiel dramatically, waving his hands around for emphasis. “I can’t do this anymore!”

Dean’s eyes rounded and Balthazar and Benny were whispering down his ear in confusion.

“What are you doing?”

“Cassie, what’s going on?”

He was impressed with himself when he managed to leak a few tears. “I hate this!” He sobbed. “I hate doing this work and I hate all the alpha, beta and omega _creeps_ that keep groping me and touching me and whispering disgusting things into my ear!”

He shoved at Dean’s chest until the alpha stumbled backwards, bewildered.

“I can’t do this! I’m scared all the time and I just… I just want my family!” By now, other guests were beginning to watch his tantrum and Abaddon glanced around worriedly.

“I don’t care about the money anymore!” Cried Castiel. “I just want to go home!”

Abaddon grasped his arm a little too tightly when some guests began to mumble amongst themselves in disgust at his unprofessional breakdown.

“Alright, sweetheart,” said Abaddon through gritted teeth. “How about we take you home?”

Castiel sniffled and followed the other omega down the corridor, glaring sharply at Dean for him not to follow. Dean stared back helplessly.

Castiel was surprised when he was thrown into an empty room and the door locked behind him and his suspect.

“Listen here, you little slut,” growled Abaddon. “I’ve worked hard for my reputation and I refuse to have pathetic whores like you ruin my chances of getting paid. Now either suck it up and wrap your lips around some alpha’s knot or go home and don’t come back. Oh, and you can forget about being paid.”

“I want to talk with my boss,” sniffed Castiel pathetically and Abaddon clenched her fists.

“I am your boss, you bimbo! I’m the one who hired you! I’m the one who pays you and if I say suck someone off, you do it! Do you understand, you whiny little bitch?”

Castiel smirked and straightened.

“I understand perfectly, Miss Bell. Did you get all that, Benny?”

Abaddon frowned in confusion. “Who’s Benny?”

 _“Loud and clear,”_ Benny replied and Castiel chuckled.

“Miss Abaddon Bell, you are under arrest for the business of hiring omegas to sell their bodies for payment. You have the right to remain silent and anything you say can and may be used against you in a court of law.”

Abaddon’s eyes widened and she whirled and tried to escape, only to find the door locked. She fumbled with the lock but Castiel was already on her and tackling her to the ground. He heard the shouts of shock and fear as his colleagues burst through the front entrance.

The bedroom door opened a crack and a pair of pink, fluffy handcuffs were thrown in before it swung shut again and Castiel chuckled because he had no doubt Dean was currently sprinting down the corridor, dodging the police and cackling to himself.

He cuffed Abaddon, who protested indignantly at her bindings and Castiel dragged her to her feet and marched her towards the squad car.

When he threw Abaddon into the back seat, he watched a black Chevrolet Impala race towards the horizon.


	6. Chapter 6

Castiel had forgotten that Michael was supposed to go to work that morning for a training meeting. Considering it was Saturday and Michael was a professor, he had a valid reason to forget.

Of course, that meant he didn’t set the alarm the previous evening and as a result, Michael was late for his meeting. Michael had been furious and Castiel was now nursing a burned hand. The alpha had boiled the kettle whilst he was still asleep and woken him up by pouring the scalding water over his palm.

Castiel had rushed into the kitchen to shove his hand into the freezer whilst Michael berated him for his carelessness and selfishness as he left for work.

Castiel soon bandaged his hand up and feeling low after his punishment, decided to wander around the park on the outskirts of the city in hopes of watching the bees. They always cheered him up.

It was the first serious punishment he’d had since being shot. He’d received a few shoves and some insults since then, but Castiel had truly believed Michael had stopped doling out harsh punishments after almost losing his mate, but apparently the pause was only temporary.

He drove for a little while, gingerly resting his injured hand on the wheel and when he parked up and began exploring, he found himself in a rarely-visited section of the park; one that had winding mud paths instead of paved footpaths. Castiel preferred the peacefulness; no screaming children or howling dogs. Nature was undisturbed in this part of the park and the wildlife was free to roam without disruption.

He settled on the grass with his legs crossed, uncaring of the mud stains he was certain to take home and he kept silent as he watched the songbirds flit from tree to tree. A couple of bees danced past him and he smiled and finally began to relax, putting Michael’s punishment out of his head.

He listened to the lilting melodies of the birds and the whistling of the crickets and he lay back on the ground, closing his eyes.

“Okay, I gotta ask… what’s with the trench coat?”

Castiel shot upright in surprise and turned startled eyes upon a smirking Dean. A smile tugged at his lips and his chest grew warm and light as the alpha approached. It had been two weeks since he’d last seen Dean.

“I like it,” Castiel commented and Dean hesitated for a moment, staring at him as if asking for permission for something. When Castiel tilted his head, the alpha sat beside him, gaze catching the omega’s bandaged hand for a second before flicking back to Castiel’s face.

“You look like Columbo.”

“It’s comfort clothing,” defended Castiel and Dean raised an eyebrow.

“Most people have a comfort blanket or photo or even a stuffed animal from their childhood. You have a trench coat.”

“I’m a unique person,” pouted Castiel and Dean grinned and shook his head.

“I won’t argue that.”

A comfortable silence fell between them before Castiel cleared his throat.

“…The handcuffs were a nice touch, by the way.”

Dean snickered. “Just working with what I had.”

“Surprisingly, I had fun,” confessed Castiel softly and Dean blinked in surprise and turned to the omega.

“…Yeah, I guess I had fun too.” He paused and frowned. “Are you going to arrest me?”

Castiel stared at his lap.

“I’m not on duty,” was all he said and he didn’t miss the way the corner of Dean’s mouth turned up in appreciation.

“Did you talk to Sam?” Asked Castiel after a few moments and suddenly, Dean’s face lit up and he nodded eagerly. Castiel grinned and raised an eyebrow.

“I take it things went well?”

“He… he was wary at first,” began Dean. “But that might’ve been because I broke into his flat at midnight.”

“Why not add another crime to your ever-growing list?” Teased Castiel and Dean winked before relaxing back onto his hands.

“He shares a room with his girlfriend and I guess I took him off-guard because he pinned me to the floor and he would’ve taken a swing at me if it wasn’t for my amazing reflexes and superior fighting skills.”

“But you don’t like to brag?”

“Exactly. Anyway, he recognised me and I got off him and he started questioning me; asking if I’d come to rob him. Apparently, I’m like a celebrity; who knew?”

“Your face has been in the papers multiple times and you’ve been on radio and TV. Or at least your pictures have. Of course everyone knows you,” scoffed Castiel. Dean dismissed him with a wave of his hand.

“Whatever. I started talking to Sam like you said though, really talking. Asked how he was doing, if he was enjoying his studies, asked about his girl and his friends and told him about Dad. He started asking how I was and it was kinda like everything we’d ever said to hurt each other just… disappeared. He told me to come visit him more often and he grumbled at me for continuing stealing. Then he told me he’d heard about the people I’d saved and the other criminals I helped to convict and he said… he said he was proud of me.” Dean looked down. “I told him I was proud of what he’d achieved too; for actually doing something worthwhile with his life.” The alpha smiled. “I’ve got my brother back and it’s thanks to you, Cas.”

Castiel shook his head. “You got your brother back thanks to you, Dean. You just needed a little push in the right direction.”

Dean gazed at him fondly and Castiel felt a strange flutter in his heart as a memory of their kiss flashed through his mind.

“Thanks, Angel,” murmured Dean and something stirred in Castiel’s gut; something happy and pleased. He glanced at his lap and wondered what it meant.

After a few minutes, Dean’s face fell into something troubled.

“Cas… is everything alright at home?” He asked quietly and Castiel froze because what was that supposed to mean?

“Uh… yes,” he replied, confused and Dean frowned and glanced at his bandaged hand.

“You sure?”

Castiel moved his hand into his lap, cradling it defensively.

“Yes. I’m sure.”

“Don’t lie to me, Cas,” huffed Dean. “You’re safe here. You can tell me if there’s something going on.”

“There’s nothing going on!” Protested Castiel, a touch snappy and Dean scowled.

“Your colleagues say otherwise,” he stated. “They’re worried about you. All of them. They told me so every time I rang the station and you weren’t there to pick up.”

Castiel scowled and glanced away. What right did his co-workers have to accuse him of having an unhappy home life? It was none of their business.

“They said you have an abusive mate,” Dean said bluntly when Castiel refused to look at him.

Castiel bristled and turned on Dean. “What do they know? They’ve never met him. They don’t understand our relationship and I have nothing to prove to any of them.” He narrowed his eyes. “Nor do I have anything to prove to you, Winchester. My home life is my business, not yours and I would appreciate you keeping your nose out of it.”

Dean’s mouth drew into a thin line and he grabbed Castiel’s bandaged hand.

“Care to explain what happened with this? Or how about the dozens of bruises and scars I saw littered over your torso when you were shot?” Dean dropped his hand. “I removed your shirt, remember? I was horrified; your body was purple, Cas! You looked like somebody had been using you for target practice!”

Castiel growled at him, baring his teeth slightly.

“I love my mate just as much as he loves me! We’ve been together for nine years and I can assure you that we’re both perfectly happy!”

Dean made a face of displeasure and Castiel sneered.

“Sorry to disappoint you, _thief._ ”

Dean shot him a harsh glare before both men looked away with a huff.

After ten minutes, Dean finally sighed.

“Do you know why I approached you that day in the surgeon’s garden?” He asked softly and Castiel scowled.

“I was the only omega there and you thought you’d attempt to get off with me?” He said petulantly. Dean frowned in a way that said _‘you know I’m not like that’_ and Castiel almost felt guilty for accusing him of that.

“I came to you because you had a faded bruise on your face; one that looked a lot like a handprint,” he murmured. “I don’t know if you remember it, but you also had a rather nasty mating mark on your neck. It looked more like an attempt to injure than any form of promise to protect or claim of love. 

“I assumed an alpha had caused both of those and I walked up to you expecting you to be timid and fearful of me. I was surprised when you weren’t. When you started sassing me, I was a mixture of delighted and intrigued. You were confident and sure of yourself and you clearly commanded respect from your peers. It made me curious as to how you got your injuries; you didn’t even seem to be aware of them. Usually, abused omegas cower from alphas and try to hide their marks and vulnerabilities. You just… didn’t care. I began to wonder if maybe you’d got them from a case you’d worked.

“But then, as I saw you more and more, I started to notice the occasional bruise peeking up over your collar or a bandaged finger or hand. Then your colleagues started telling me they were worried about you. When I saw the bruising on your chest all those months ago, I knew you were dealing with an abusive mate. What I don’t understand is why you’re still with him,” said Dean and Castiel shook his head.

“You’re wrong. Michael’s not abusive, he’s… he likes to play games. When I do something he likes or approves of, I get a reward. If I mess up, he punishes me. There’s no abuse. He loves me and he’s good to me. He protects me and cooks and cleans and tells me how lucky he is to have me. Does that sound like abuse?”

Dean raised an eyebrow. “What did you do to deserve a bandaged hand?”

“…I forgot to set his alarm clock this morning,” he murmured. 

“So, what did he do?”

“…He poured boiling water over my palm.”

Dean cursed and growled quietly before turning pleading eyes to the omega.

“Cas, you have to see that that’s abuse? Please tell me you understand he wouldn’t do that if he truly loved you?”

Castiel frowned. “He does love me. He told me he does.”

Dean shook his head. “People don’t set out to hurt the ones they love. They don’t hit their mates or rip into their necks with their teeth. Michael is abusing you and you need to see that because one day, things will go too far and you’re the one who’s gonna pay for it.”

“I…” Cas tapered off and let his gaze trail to the ground. A bee landed on a daisy.

“You deserve so much better,” whispered Dean. “You could have anyone you want. You could have someone who treated you like royalty; someone who worshiped your body instead of marking it with cruelty.”

“I’m happy, Dean,” Castiel whispered, but his mouth was turned downwards. “Truly, I am. Michael’s good to me. I love him.”

“But he doesn’t love you,” said Dean desperately. “He’s using you how he pleases. Treating you like trash. Please, Cas. Just think about it.”

Castiel shook his head. “I’m happy,” he stated firmly and Dean sagged.

“Just… be careful, okay? I… I don’t want to lose you.”

Castiel’s heart ached at the disappointment in Dean’s tone. He rubbed his arm awkwardly.

“So… you talk to me because I’m ‘intriguing’? Because you wanted to know if I had an abusive mate or not? Was I some sort of… social experiment?” Castiel asked softly, hurt leaking into his voice and Dean startled and stared at him.

“I never said that. I said I approached you because I was curious about those things and maybe at first… yeah, I wanted to see who you were. But then I started getting to know you and… well… you don’t think I was lying on that phone call, do you? The one about me… um… liking you?”

Castiel blinked as he tried to recall the conversation. His eyes widened.

“Wait, so you really do… have a ‘crush’ on me?” He asked, bewildered.

Dean nodded without meeting his gaze and Castiel’s heart did something strange in his chest until he felt excitement buzzing around his body.

“So, that kiss back at the mansion…?”

Dean grinned weakly and Castiel couldn’t help but chuckle. “Smooth.”

Dean brightened at the realisation the omega wasn’t angry or offended. He sat a little straighter and smiled at the detective.

“I thought it was just your character,” hummed Castiel and Dean shook his head.

“I thought I told you it was, but it meant something when I did it with you?”

Castiel shrugged. “I didn’t take you seriously.”

Dean rolled his eyes but couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. He locked his hands behind his head and lay back on the grass, watching the clouds drift by.

“Why’d you become a detective anyway? Thought you were forensics? That’s what you studied, right?” Asked Dean lightly and Castiel gazed at his fit body and the slither of toned abdomen peeking out from under his shirt before getting his brain into gear.

“I was and I did, but I worked long hours and Michael was lonely in the house when he came home. We argued quite a lot so I decided to cut down my shifts. To do that, I had to switch over to detective. We argue less now so I suppose it really was my fault.”

Dean stared at him in disbelief and Castiel shifted uncomfortably. The alpha closed his eyes with a sigh.

“I’m not even gonna start on that.”

“Good,” huffed Castiel. He decidedly didn’t enjoy arguing with Dean when it was genuine anger on both sides. He preferred their teasing banter.

Besides, there was nothing wrong with what he’d done… right?

“Although I get the lonely thing,” hummed Dean quietly as he gazed at the clouds. “I’m not exactly laden with friends… or anyone, really.” He pulled a face. “Guess it’s my own fault. What I do isn’t exactly a good conversation starter.”

“It is in my profession,” muttered Castiel drily and Dean huffed out a laugh.

“Yeah, well, most people who recognise me run in the opposite direction or call the cops. Some even try to shoot me.”

“Welcome to my world,” chuckled Castiel. “You have no idea how many people have tried to call the police when they’ve spotted me on the premises, all because I don’t wear a uniform.”

Dean barked out a laugh. “Seriously?”

Castiel nodded with a grin and Dean shook his head.

“And out of the two of us, I’m the one who was shot,” the omega reminded and Dean grimaced. 

“Yeah, I still have nightmares.”

Castiel quirked an eyebrow. “…Really?”

Dean shrugged and refused to comment.

“And most people hate cops. All I have to say is ‘hello’ and they sprint away,” sighed Castiel.

“Guess we’re not so different afterall, huh?” Commented Dean.

Castiel reclined beside him on the grass and the alpha sent him a charming smile before staring up at the sky again.

They began to chat about other things after that; hobbies and movies and books. Anything that came to their minds. Dean even spoke of his car and how he’d fixed her up from a rusted-out husk in a junkyard after his father died. She was his most prized possession. 

Castiel enjoyed himself. Thoughts of Michael vanished into nothing when he was with Dean and he couldn’t take his eyes off the alpha’s bright smile and playful gaze and at one point he even started counting the tiny freckles littering the space beneath his eyes. Dean was gorgeous and it was the first time he’d really stopped to look at the alpha. His smell alone was enough to make Castiel want to kiss him again.

…Better get rid of those thoughts.

When their stomachs started to rumble and the sun had fallen towards the horizon, they realised it was time to part ways. The idea made Castiel pout.

“Do you have far to go home?” Asked Castiel and Dean shook his head. 

“I live pretty close to here actually. About thirty minutes’ walk.”

Castiel raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I thought you lived in the centre of the city?”

“Nope,” hummed Dean, popping the ‘P’. “I like things a little quieter.”

“Oh,” said Castiel. “Do you need a lift?”

Dean chuckled. “I don’t trust you to not take me back to the station,” he teased and Castiel rolled his eyes.

“Right, that’s why I’ve spent six hours with you today; I’m trying to earn your trust before I slap a muzzle on you and take you to the pound.”

Dean grinned cheekily and stretched before surging to his feet. He watched Castiel clamber upright before tilting his head thoughtfully. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pen, then grabbed Castiel’s uninjured hand before the omega could protest.

“Here,” he said, etching a series of numbers onto the omega’s skin. Castiel scrutinised the digits.

“What’s this?”

Dean stared at him in amusement. “My number.”

The omega blinked. “…As in your phone?” At the alpha’s nod, Castiel frowned, puzzled. 

“Isn’t that a risky move considering I’m a detective? I could trace you now.” Dean had worked so hard in the past to conceal his number from the police and now he was just giving it to Castiel?

“I trust you,” Dean shrugged. “I also know you won’t use it to catch me because I’ve given it to you freely and you would feel like that’s cheating. You have to work things out, not have solutions handed to you.”

Castiel blinked. That was very true. He liked to solve his cases fairly.

“Then what do I use it for?”

Dean shoved his hands into his pockets.

“Just… if you ever get lonely. Or want someone to talk to. Or maybe just want to hear the sound of my voice,” he winked and Castiel snorted. 

“I don’t know,” murmured Dean. “Maybe I’ll call you sometime. I… I really like talking to you.”

“Oh… I’d like that,” admitted Castiel quietly and Dean smiled shyly at him before scratching the back of his neck and nodding towards the mud path.

“I… uh… I’d better let you get home. See you around, Cas.”

“Goodnight, Dean.”

The alpha turned and started his journey down the long, winding path. After a few moments, Castiel pulled out his phone and entered the number into his contacts before typing out a message. 

 

_Nice ass._

_Angel xxx_

 

He watched Dean pause and tug his phone from his pocket before he threw his head back and cackled. He hunched over as he sent a reply.

 

_**Send nudes?** _

 

Castiel laughed to himself and typed an answer.

 

_You first, bby_

 

There was a pause before he received a reply.

 

_**Got your number, Angel :)** _

 

_Don’t forget_

 

_**< 3** _

 

Castiel couldn’t stop smiling even when Dean disappeared from view. He hopped into his car and hummed along when _‘Crazy Love’_ lilted through the radio, chest fluttering and heart warm.

 

* * * 

 

The next few weeks saw Castiel smirking and biting back laughter at his phone during inappropriate moments. Crowley had scolded him a couple of times for texting on duty, but mostly his co-workers were pleased he seemed to have gained a new friend who enjoyed texting.

Obviously, Castiel hadn’t told them who that friend was.

He had to be more careful around Michael. When he’d first obtained Dean’s number, he hadn’t thought Michael would care about him suddenly having an interest in texting, but the alpha had and Castiel noticed his mate grew really suspicious when he had his phone out now. If the alpha did catch him texting his mystery friend, he became possessive and jealous and Castiel could guarantee they would have rough sex that night and he would be sore in the morning with a painful mating mark on his neck or shoulder.

He was much more careful about when he texted Dean now.

When the flirty alpha had realised Castiel actually enjoyed texting him, Castiel went to bed every evening with a cheesy pick-up line, sweet poem or something Dean called a ‘meme’ lighting up his screen. Sometimes, Castiel would make an excuse that he needed the bathroom and whilst Michael fell asleep, Castiel would text or call Dean and the pair would stay up late to chat or giggle at each other’s stories.

The prospect of chatting to Dean always made Castiel strangely excited and on the rare occasion they did call each other, hearing the alpha’s voice brought about a deep sense of contentment within him. 

Then there was the sexting.

Usually, it was just playful teasing with them both sprouting ridiculous euphemisms or finding obscure GIFs to amuse each other with, but one night, when Dean had been in rut, banter developed into something more intense and Castiel remembered trying to keep quiet in the shower as Dean growled what he wanted to do to the omega down the phone. He remembered touching himself that night whilst Michael was fast asleep and choking back his groans as he heard Dean pleasuring himself too. Dean had the most amazing moans.

They texted about their days and things they’d seen and Castiel couldn’t help but be fascinated by the alpha he’d once hated. They cheered one another up after long days and Dean said such wonderful words to him when he was feeling low after one of Michael’s punishments that Cas started feeling safe whenever he contacted the alpha. He began to wish they could meet up like normal friends and when he told Dean as much, it turned out Dean longed for the same thing.

Of course, they couldn’t do that; not with Dean being a wanted criminal.

Cas was thankful Dean had given him his number. 

He soon began to notice he’d started referring to himself as ‘Cas’ since that was the name Dean called him and he couldn’t help but smile when anyone else used the name, mind immediately returning to vivacious green eyes, perfect lips and sandy-brown hair.

It wasn’t long before he realised he didn’t love Michael.

When they had sex, it wasn’t Michael’s face he saw looking down at him. Michael had grey eyes not green. When they kissed, it wasn’t Michael’s lips he was thinking of. Michael’s lips weren’t soft enough. When Michael touched him, his grip was too tight and he knew those fingers could so easily hurt him. Michael didn’t have calloused hands and he certainly wasn’t gentle with him. Michael didn’t laugh and smile with his eyes when Castiel was trying to be playful; Michael was serious and rough and he hurt Cas all the time just because he felt like it.

Michael didn’t smell of whisky and leather and Castiel had stopped scenting him.

In fact, Castiel tried to limit his contact with Michael altogether. He no longer asked for kisses or cuddled up to the alpha on the couch. He didn’t want Michael to join him in the shower and he didn’t want the alpha holding him whilst they slept. Michael’s scent was starting to make him feel nauseous and seeing the alpha’s mating mark on his skin made him whine is distress. He didn’t want Michael to touch him at all.

Michael began to notice.

He grew agitated and snappy, pushing Castiel around and hitting him more. At first Castiel put up with Michael’s accusations and insults; he didn’t want to be injured any more than necessary and honestly, he just wanted Michael to leave him alone so he could talk to Dean more often. 

But one day, when Cas thought his mate was asleep, he grabbed his phone to check the corny pick-up line Dean had sent him and Michael reached over and stole his phone. Cas growled at him, demanding he return the device, but Michael’s scowl deepened when he saw Dean’s message.

 

_**My mattress is a little hard. Wanna come help me break it in? ;)** _

 

The alpha narrowed his eyes as he scrolled through their conversations and dread bubbled in Cas’ stomach. He was thankful he hadn’t put Dean’s real name in his phone.

 

_**Your eyes are as blue as the ocean, and I’m lost at sea** _

 

 _If you were a triangle, you’d be acute one_

 

_**I was wondering if you had an extra heart, mine seems to have been stolen ;P** _

 

His face hardened as he glanced through other conversations; little titbits about their days and the stories they told each other. His scent began to radiate fury when he came across their sexting sessions, even if it was just playful and then when he saw that Castiel had been sending his doubts about their mating to his mystery friend, Michael looked livid. He threw the phone at the wall and Castiel winced as he heard the screen crack.

Suddenly, Michael had him pinned to the bed, grip tight around his wrists.

“Whore,” snarled Michael as Cas’ eyes widened in shock. “Who is he? How long have you been cheating on me?”

Castiel scowled. “We haven’t done anything. He’s just a friend.”

“Liar,” Michael accused. “Who is he?”

“A friend,” insisted Cas and Michael abruptly smacked him across the face.

“Tell me where he is!”

“I don’t know!” Said Castiel truthfully and the alpha snarled again and drove his knuckles into Cas’ eye. Cas yelped in agony as he felt the blood vessels pop.

“Get off me!” Hissed Castiel but Michael rumbled threateningly.

“I do everything for you. I bring money home to buy food, I provide you with a house, I take care of you like a good alpha and this is how you repay me? By inviting another alpha to knot you? You’re an ungrateful bitch.” Michael punched his stomach and Castiel cried out again.

“You don’t want me!” Snarled Cas. “You just want something to punch. You don’t love me and I certainly don’t love you, so don’t you dare pretend you’re good to me! You’ve not been good to me for years and for the first time I’m actually beginning to realise that!”

Michael made a deep, offended sound at the back of his throat and Castiel felt the omega part of him wanting to submit to Michael’s overpowering alpha stench. He ignored it though when Michael punched his stomach again.

He struggled against the alpha for a few seconds, which only succeeded infuriating Michael more.

“Stay still whilst I give you what cheating sluts deserve,” snapped Michael and Castiel growled when the alpha began fumbling with his boxers. He kicked out at Michael and the alpha grunted in pain before clutching onto Cas’ body as he tried to undress himself.

Castiel clawed at Michael’s face, drawing blood and the alpha grimaced and kneed him in the crotch, making the omega groan.

They fought for a few minutes, clawing and hitting, Michael attempting to subdue his mate as Cas attempted to escape.

“I hate you,” hissed Castiel. “I’ll never let you abuse me again.”

Michael wrapped a hand around his throat and squeezed, making him choke, but Castiel yanked on his knot and Michael cried out as agony flared up the organ.

“I treat you how you deserve,” breathed Michael, voice quiet as he surged forwards and sunk his teeth into Cas’ neck. He clamped down hard and tears leaked out of Castiel’s eyes at the burst of pain.

Cas clawed at Michael’s back desperately before tugging at his hair and they wrestled again, Castiel making a noise of disgust when the alpha began rutting against him. They struggled in near silence, the only sound being their panting and the slide of their bodies as darkness encased the room.

“He’s kind and gentle,” whispered Cas because he suddenly wanted Michael to understand how much he despised him and everything he’d put Castiel through. “I kissed him and I enjoyed it. I even jerked off to his voice whilst he copied from the other end of the phone.”

Michael grabbed his hips and Cas could already feel the bruises forming from his fingertips.

“All those times we had sex these past few weeks, I imagined you were him,” continued Castiel, beside Michael’s ear. “I imagined it was his fat knot pounding into me, not yours.”

Castiel bit back a cry at the force at which Michael shoved into him. There was no tenderness or love there; the alpha wanted to hurt him. He continued clawing at Michael’s back, smirking when he caught the droplets of blood sliding over the alpha’s skin.

“I want him,” taunted Castiel. “No matter what you do to me, I’ll want him. I want to suck his knot. I want him to breed me up and mark me as his. I want to be his.” Castiel was surprised at the ease at which the words came to him and he soon realised they were all true. He really did want Dean. The thought was like a punch to the gut.

Michael slammed into him, making him arch upwards at the horrible burning sensation inside him.

“He’ll never want someone as worthless as you,” Michael hissed into his ear. “You’re a used-up omega whore and he’ll never touch you again.”

“He wants me,” murmured Cas. “He tells me every day. I’d let him have me; I’d let him do what he wants to me.”

“I’ll kill him,” breathed Michael. “If he even looks at you, I’ll kill him.”

“You don’t know who he is,” scoffed Cas and Michael whacked him across the face again. Castiel could feel the handprint-shaped bruise forming on his cheek.

“I’ll find him,” promised Michael and Castiel snarled at him defiantly. He hissed at a particularly harsh thrust from the alpha.

“You’re mine,” growled Michael, gripping Castiel’s hair until he could yank his head back and bare the omega’s throat. “You’ll always be mine, omega.” He scraped his teeth down Cas’ throat and the younger man shuddered.

“I was yours once,” he agreed quietly. “But I’m not anymore.”

Suddenly, he jerked his knee upwards into Michael’s stomach and the alpha grunted. Cas wrapped his legs around Michael’s hips and flipped their positions until the alpha was beneath him and Michael shouted in outrage when Castiel clawed at his face viciously.

He pulled off Michael, making sure to twist the alpha’s knot at an awkward angle as he slid off the bed and made a dash for his damaged phone. Michael snarled and leaped after him, fingertips grazing his elbow as Castiel raced into the bathroom and locked the door.

The omega panted, moving away from the door when Michael body-slammed into it, cursing and yelling degrading insults at Cas from the other side of it. Michael sounded livid and Castiel realised the alpha wouldn’t just punish him if he caught him, he’d probably hospitalise him.

Cas sought to get his breathing under control, hoping that Michael would eventually grow exhausted and give up and after a few minutes, the banging and scraping stopped and Castiel breathed a sigh of relief. He wondered what to do from there. He couldn’t stay with Michael, but where else could he go? How did he get all his belongings out of the house without Michael attacking him?

How did _he_ get out of the house without the alpha going crazy?

Should he tell someone about what had happened? If so, who?

His neck and face began to throb and he turned to the mirror and winced at the blood pouring down his skin from the bite mark. His cheek was also purpling quite nicely and his eye had skipped purple and faded straight to black. He cleaned the broken skin with some cool water and washed Michael’s blood from his fingernails.

Then he glanced down at himself and his cheeks flamed in humiliation.

…Michael had taken him against his will. His boxers had fallen off when he’d jumped out of bed and now he was stark naked, entrance sore and burning and body mottled with purple marks from Michael’s hands.

He felt his breathing rate pick up as his mind replayed the last few minutes and suddenly his knees couldn’t hold him anymore. He stumbled to the toilet and sat on the lid and closed his legs, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried not to think about how he’d wasted nine years of his life with an over-controlling, gas-lighting, psychotic alpha. He huffed out a hysterical laugh when he thought about how he’d truly believed Michael loved him for so long. His head fell into his hands and he flinched as the heel of his palm caught his blackening eye.

He felt the tears trickling down his skin before he even registered he was crying.

He’d let Michael abuse him. He’d let the alpha manipulate him and he’d actually defended him when anyone had tried to talk sense into him.

He swore softly and wiped the tears from his face before glancing around and looking for something to wear. 

His gaze caught a black robe and he decided it would have to do.

He plucked it off the hook from behind the door and wrapped it around him tightly. Just as he was tying the knot, he was startled by the tip of a blade slicing through the door.

He jumped backwards with wide eyes as the blade wiggled backwards and a few seconds later was rammed through the door again, splintering the weak wood.

With a gasp he scrambled back towards the toilet and watched the knife appear through different parts of the door like a scene from ‘The Shining’. The wood slowly began to tear apart.

“If you make me break this door, omega, I’ll chop off every finger you have,” roared Michael and Castiel felt sick. He snatched his phone and his hands shook as he unlocked its cracked screen.

Who did he call? The police? He was the police. Maybe he should call Benny? Or Balthazar? Even Crowley? But what about his injuries? Should he call an ambulance? Did people call ambulances when they’d been abused by their mate? 

He couldn’t think; couldn’t breathe so he instinctively dialed a familiar number.

“Hey, Angel! What a pleasant surprise. What’s the gossip?” 

Dean’s voice was cheery and genuinely delighted to hear from him and Castiel let out a sob of relief before he could stop himself.

“Angel?” Dean asked, a frown in his voice. “Is everything okay?”

Castiel shook his head frantically. “He’s going to kill me. You were right. He doesn’t love me and now he wants to kill me.” His vision blurred from tears. “I’m so stupid. I let him manipulate me. I thought I loved him. I thought… was I frightened of him? Did I let him do that to me because I was scared of what he’d do if I didn’t?” Castiel gripped his hair helplessly. “I don’t know what to do. He’s going to kill me and it’s my fault. He saw the texts and I told him… I told him about you. I told him I wanted you. I told him about the things we’ve done and now he…” Castiel couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t think.

“Why did I ring you?” He panicked. “Why didn’t I ring the police? What can you do? I’m trapped and he’s got a knife and I rang a criminal instead of the police or an ambulance or… _someone_ who can help. What am I doing? What am I supposed to do? Why am I so stupid? Why did-”

“Where are you, Cas?” Interrupted Dean firmly and Cas sniffled and ran a hand through his hair.

“At home.”

“What’s your address?”

Cas automatically rattled his address off before his eyes widened and he groaned.

“Why did I tell you that? Now you know where I live and you’re a wanted thief and-”

“Stay right where you are,” ordered Dean. “Don’t move, don’t give in to him. Don’t go anywhere near him. Stay right there. Do you understand?”

Castiel clamped his mouth shut and nodded before realising the action was pointless.

“…Okay, Dean,” he choked out.

“Trust me,” whispered Dean before the line went dead and Castiel was left alone in the bathroom as Michael tried to hack through the door with a cooking knife.

Cas pulled his knees to his chest and waited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter ended up being a lot longer than I expected, so depending on the epilogue length, I'm now predicting 8-9 chapters for this fic. Whoops.


	7. Chapter 7

It took Michael twenty minutes to finally break through the door and with one final kick to its worn wood, the door caved and Castiel whimpered when his crazy mate stepped through, body throwing off waves of aggressive alpha pheromones. The omega in Castiel wanted to curl up and cry in terror, but the logical side of Castiel knew he would have to fight. 

Michael clutched his knife firmly and wielded it in Castiel’s direction.

“Come here,” he ordered lowly and Cas shook his head, eying up his only escape route; the door Michael had just burst through.

Michael growled threateningly. “Come here and hold your hands out.”

Cas retreated until his back hit the wall. He subtly groped around for the toilet brush trapped behind him.

“You’ve been a naughty omega and now you need to learn a lesson,” rumbled Michael as Castiel finally grasped the toilet brush. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but it would have to do.

As Michael approached, Cas suddenly swung the brush at Michael’s already-bloodied face and the surprise was enough to make Michael jump out of the way, giving Castiel an opportunity to escape.

The omega sprinted down the stairs and headed towards the kitchen, where the front door key was located. He raced into the kitchen and fumbled in the drawers for the keys, hands shaking when he heard Michael’s footsteps thundering after him.

He finally found the ring of a dozen keys and knowing he had no time to sort through them, he grabbed a knife out of the nearby rack, pointing it at Michael when the alpha appeared in the doorway.

“Stay away from me,” hissed Cas as he backed towards the downstairs toilet, where he knew he’d have no escape but at least there was a lock on the door. It would buy him time and Dean had told him to wait; he trusted the alpha and would follow his orders.

Michael advanced on him and Castiel took a breath before scrambling towards the bathroom. Michael surged forwards and managed to graze his arm with the knife, but Cas whirled and stabbed at his shoulder, making the alpha leap backwards.

Castiel slammed the door and locked it quickly, letting out a little sob when the sound of Michael stabbing the door could be heard.

The downstairs toilet was only a two-metre-square room and Castiel began to realise he’d just made a very bad decision. When Michael broke through that door, he would have nowhere to run; no room to trick the alpha like last time. Michael would have him right where he wanted.

Castiel glanced at his knife and gulped. He had to escape. No matter the consequences, he would get out of Michael’s manipulative grasp.

Castiel closed his eyes and tried to block out the sounds of the alpha breaking through the door.

Approximately seventeen minutes later, a window shattered somewhere in the house and Michael stopped hacking at the nearly-defeated door.

“Who’s there?” He growled after a few moments of silence and when he received no answer, he crept into the kitchen and glanced into the hallway.

Only to have a gun pressed to the spot between his eyes.

“Back it up,” growled a man who was clearly an alpha, clad in a black ski mask and gloves.

Michael gulped and stared in fear at the other alpha’s hidden face. He’d never had a gun pointed at him before. The man snarled.

“Drop the weapon before I shoot your hand off!”

Michael immediately dropped the knife and held his hands up placatingly.

“Now…” The man looked around, assessing the room or maybe searching for something in particular.

“Give me your wallet,” the robber demanded. “And the car keys.”

Michael hesitated but the robber clicked the safety catch off on his pearl-stocked, silver gun.

“Do you want to know what a bullet to the brain feels like?” Snapped the other alpha and Michael pulled open a drawer, making the thief press the barrel against the side of his head.

“Slowly,” he growled and Michael gulped and searched for Castiel’s car keys. He then snatched the omega’s wallet, leaving his own hidden at the back of the drawer. He held both items out to the thief.

“Good,” praised the criminal condescendingly. “Any other fancy knick-knacks I should know about?”

Michael shook his head cautiously and the thief chuckled.

“I think you’re lying to me,” he taunted and that was the moment Castiel chose to unlock the bathroom door.

The robber glanced at him for a brief second and Castiel immediately recognised those sparkling green eyes. He felt his whole body sag in relief.

Dean eyed him for a moment before smirking at Michael.

“See? I knew you were lying. Cute omega. I’ll take him too.”

Michael’s eyes widened and he glared at Dean.

“You can’t just take a person.”

“Watch me,” challenged Dean before glancing back to Cas and raising his gun to point at Michael’s forehead.

“Omega. Come here now or I’ll paint the walls with his brain.”

Castiel almost remained where he was. _Almost._

He slowly edged towards Dean, pretending to be frightened and Michael’s face had lost all colour as Dean nodded approvingly, dragging Castiel to his side none-too-gently and snatching the knife from his hand as he acted out his role. He placed the blade against the omega’s neck and stared at Michael as he addressed him.

“We’re gonna back out real slow and neither of you are gonna make any sudden movements. If Alpha Idiot twitches, Blue Eyes gets decapitated. If Blue Eyes tries to escape, Alpha Idiot gets a hole in his brain, capisce?”

No one spoke as Dean practically dragged Cas around the corner into the living room and the moment Michael was out of sight, Dean released the omega, grabbed the trench coat he’d strewn over the couch when he’d broken in and silently gestured for Cas to follow him out the shattered window.

Castiel stuck to his tail and Dean pocketed his gun, grabbed the detective’s hand and tugged him towards the black Impala hiding out of view down the end of the street. It was barely noticeable under the night sky.

Dean unlocked the car and pushed Cas towards the passenger’s side, rounding the car and hopping into the driver’s seat soon after. He yanked off his mask and when he turned to ask if Cas was alright, he was surprised to find the omega absent and the door wide open. 

His blood ran cold when he saw Michael had followed them and currently had his arm locked tightly around Castiel’s throat as he aimed his knife at Dean.

“Drive away,” Michael said lowly as Dean made to get out of the car again and green eyes widened when Michael abruptly pressed the blade against Castiel’s throat.

“You obviously care for him. Leave and I won’t do too much damage to him.”

Dean snarled. “You won’t do any damage to him.”

“I’ll admit, you almost had me fooled there,” continued Michael as if Dean hadn’t spoken. “I truly thought you were going to shoot me. But now I recognise your face; you’re that thief from the News. The one who likes to work with my mate’s department.”

Dean sprung out of the car, fists clenched.

“Let him go,” he rumbled threateningly and Michael sneered and pushed the blade further into Castiel’s neck, nicking the skin and making the omega close his eyes.

“You’re no murderer,” scoffed Michael. “You’re a pathetic thief looking for attention.”

“And are you a murderer?” Asked Dean desperately as he watched a drop of blood trickle down Cas’ neck. “Could you really kill an innocent omega? Could you really kill your mate of nine years?”

Michael made a face of disgust. “You say that like he actually means something to me.”

Dean sagged, clutching at straws. “He must mean something. You stuck with him for almost a decade!”

Michael shrugged. “It was fun whilst it lasted. The sex was good too. He did anything I wanted him to; gave me quite a rush.”

Castiel cursed at him and Michael scowled and pushed the blade a millimetre deeper into his skin.

Dean paled and did the only thing he could think of. He raised his gun and pointed it at Michael’s head.

He’d never shot anyone before. He’d never owned a gun before stealing this one from the gun merchants’. He’d fired it a few times but never at a live target.

“I said let him go.” His hands were sweaty and he was trying not to shake.

Michael must have noticed his nervousness because he chuckled.

“Go on, Winchester. Be an alpha. Shoot me. Why not add ‘murder’ to your ever-growing sentence?”

Dean clicked the safety off and took a deep breath, trying to focus his racing mind.

“Kill me,” challenged Michael. “Shoot me between the eyes. Don’t be a coward.”

Dean squeezed his eyes shut and lowered the gun. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t take a life, even for the omega he loved. What kind of alpha couldn’t protect the omega they wanted, even when they had a knife at their throat?

Michael laughed at him scathingly and Dean flinched at the cruel sound.

Suddenly, the other alpha groaned and Dean’s eyes flew open to find Castiel elbowing Michael in the gut, snapping his wrist back so he could disarm him, then finally turning and kneeing his mate in the crotch until he crumpled to his knees.

He stormed over to Dean, snatched the gun from his hands and shot Michael in the leg.

Michael howled and collapsed onto his back, grasping his bleeding thigh.

“You forgot about the cop,” Castiel growled before shoving Dean’s gun into the pocket of his robe. He turned to the gaping Dean. “Get in the car and drive,” he commanded.

Dean stared at him for a moment before scrambling to the driver’s seat, the passenger door slamming behind Cas as the omega slid in beside him.

“You’re the most amazing human I’ve ever met and I think I love you,” blurted Dean after a moment of silence and Castiel huffed out a breath of relief.

“You came,” was all he said and Dean glanced at him.

“Of course I did. Didn’t you hear what I just said?”

Castiel glanced over at him, eyes filled with emotion and Dean’s breath hitched, heart clenching in agony at the omega’s horrific bruises.

“Drive, Dean,” whispered Cas and Dean started the ignition.

“Where?”

“Anywhere.”

Dean nodded and reversed the car out of her hiding space.

_Thump._

Dean froze, stopping the car. “…What was that?”

Castiel glanced through the mirror to find Michael was no longer in the spot they’d left him in. A leg was poking out from behind the rear right wheel. It moved slightly.

“…Nothing. Just go forwards,” said Castiel.

Dean stared at him, panicked.

“That didn’t sound like nothing. What was it?”

“A cat.”

“That was way too loud to be a cat. No way have I just run over a cat.”

“Just pretend it was a cat.”

“…Did I run him over?” Dean asked in horror and Castiel made a face.

“It’s his own fault for getting up and trying to break into the car.”

“I just _ran someone over_ ,” Dean whispered, mortified.

“He’s fine. I saw a leg move,” argued Castiel.

“Which one, the one you shot or the one I ran over?” Despaired Dean.

“Dean, he’s alive. Move it!” Ordered Cas. “He deserved it anyway.”

“He could have internal trauma!”

“He just raped me and held a knife to my throat; I wouldn’t spit on him if he was on fire!”

Dean clamped his mouth shut as he glanced at Cas’ battered face.

He said nothing as he slammed the car into gear and they rocketed down the main road to wherever Dean was taking them.

 

* * *

 

The drive was silent, Dean’s knuckles white on the wheel as Cas closed his eyes and tried to come to terms with what had happened.

He had no home now. No cash or car or food. He had no clothes except for the ones on his back. He had nothing because the alpha he’d thought loved him had taken it all away. 

His cheek ached. So did his eye and just about every other part of him. He wanted to curl up in bed and cry himself to sleep but then he realised he didn’t have a bed either.

He wrapped his arms around himself and stared at his lap. What did he do now? 

They drove for just under an hour, past the park he and Dean had chatted in all those weeks ago and to the outskirts of the city, where housing was sparse and the fields stretched for miles. They passed a caravan park and Castiel watched the few people milling around it, talking softly and smiling as most people retired to bed, some long since asleep.

Dean pulled up outside an abandoned barn a couple of minutes later.

It was small; possibly for storage of tools at one point, but the wood had clearly been looked after and the windows were clean and the doors well-maintained. 

Cas wondered why they’d stopped there and he followed Dean as the alpha climbed out of the car and locked her. He grabbed Cas’ trench coat from the backseat and Cas’ heart clenched at the realisation it was his only belonging.

Dean silently offered his hand and Cas took it without hesitation, allowing the alpha to lead him towards the small barn.

He flicked a switch on a portable generator connected to an extension cord outside the barn door and led Castiel inside, and the barn suddenly lit up with dozens of fairy lights.

Cas gasped as he glanced around the room.

There was a large tent in the centre of the floor; a double mattress inside it and five cosy-looking blankets and an assortment of pillows and cushions piled high on it. The inside of the tent was also decorated with fairy lights and a battery-powered lamp in the shape of an owl rested on the floor beside the mattress. Dean had even found a cheap clock to accompany it.

The floor of the barn was strewn with various rugs and bits of carpet; a couple of old, but well-loved chairs beside a window and a bookshelf Dean had obviously made, littered with a variety of books and magazines he’d found throughout the years.

In another corner of the room was a tiny grill Dean had salvaged and cleaned up and surrounding it were shelves he’d made or restored; each containing tins or packets of food and drinks and. There were camping cups, plastic plates, cutlery and an old kettle piled neatly on a couple of shelves. Next to them was a small bin and a mini-fridge that looked to have been thrown out from a hotel, which Dean had repaired and plugged into a socket on his extension cord.

Next to this area was a foldable plastic table, a damaged dining chair tucked under it and a candle placed on top of it. A woolly rug decorated the floor beneath them.

The ‘living area’ part of the barn consisted of a few more patches of carpet and rugs with battered couches and a couple of moon chairs campers had forgotten. There was a wooden coffee table and a banged-up, combined radio-CD player on top of it and Dean’s classic rock collection was scattered beside it.

At the back of the barn lay Dean’s personal items; photos of his family, boxes of clothes, toiletries, towels and an assortment of other items he didn’t want on show.

None of the colours matched and the style of every piece of furniture was different, but it was the most inviting living space Castiel had ever seen.

“…Did you… steal all this?” Cas asked in awe and Dean scrunched his nose up.

“No, I only steal what I need, like food. Even most of that is what the supermarkets throw out at the end of the day. I found all this junk. Fixed some of it up and made do with what I had,” he shrugged as if embarrassed about the way he lived.

Cas shook his head as he took in the entirety of the old barn.

“It’s beautiful, Dean.”

Dean flushed pink and looked away, scratching the back of his neck.

“Don’t have a toilet or shower, but the owner of the campsite, Bobby Singer, he uh… he lets me use the facilities whenever I feel. He’s a good guy.” A smile tugged at Dean’s lips as he said this before his tone returned to the gruff, slightly nervous sound it had originally been. “It’s five minutes’ walk from here.”

Castiel immediately understood the amount of trust Dean had offered him by bringing him to his home. He’d probably never shown anyone where he lived for fear of being arrested; now he’d brought Castiel, a detective, to give him a place to stay for the night.

Dean was such a kind-hearted man.

“Thank you, Dean,” whispered Castiel gratefully and Dean managed a smile before the expression faded into one of worry.

“Do you need any medical supplies? Bandages? Plasters? Creams? Cold pack?” He asked and Castiel shook his head.

“I’m fine,” he said. “But thank you.” He didn’t want to use any of Dean’s supplies when the alpha had practically nothing himself.

Dean didn’t look convinced and he shuffled off towards the back of the barn and rummaged through a few cardboard boxes before finally coming across a metal chest. He pulled out a cold pack and shook it vigorously before returning to Castiel.

“For your eye and cheek,” he said and Castiel took it guiltily and held it against his throbbing face. It was soothing and he sighed softly in relief.

Dean smiled and offered Castiel his trench coat.

“Thought you might want this,” he murmured quietly and Castiel glanced at him gratefully and held the coat to his chest. Then Dean reached into his jacket pocket and produced a set of car keys and a wallet and Cas’ eyes widened at his own belongings.

“Thought these might come in handy too,” commented Dean as if he hadn’t just given Cas a mode of transportation, his I.D. and access to his bank account.

“Dean,” Cas choked, voice breaking into a happy sob as he took both items and the alpha winked at him.

“Michael’s not as smart as he thinks he is.”

They gazed at each other for a whole three seconds before Cas dropped everything he was holding and lunged at Dean.

Their lips crashed together and Dean wrapped his arms around the omega protectively, holding him tight as Cas tried to press closer and prove how thankful he was for everything Dean had done.

They clung onto each other desperately as they kissed, tasting each other’s tongues and making soft whimpers or growls of want. Cas tangled his fingers in Dean’s hair as the alpha hoisted the omega’s legs onto his hips and carried him to the tent.

They tumbled onto the mattress and Dean quickly stripped Cas of his robe as Cas threw Dean’s jacket on the floor, tearing his shirt off soon after.

Dean cupped Cas’ uninjured cheek and threw his feelings into their kiss, the need and passion behind the action making Cas sob in desperation.

Dean buried his nose into Cas’ neck and scented hungrily and Cas held him close as he pushed his nose into Dean’s neck.

“Smell gorgeous,” breathed Dean. “Sweet like honey and forests.” He scented him again and Cas bared his throat without hesitation.

Dean’s eyes widened at the display and he ran his tongue over Cas’ neck, ending with a kiss to the omega’s jaw.

“Want you,” whispered Cas and Dean rumbled protectively, making Cas feel all warm and safe. The alpha claimed his lips gently and nuzzled his bruised cheek.

“You sure?” He whispered and Cas nodded frantically, surging upwards for another filthy kiss.

Dean pulled away with a gasp and the smile he gave Cas crinkled the corners of his eyes and exposed perfect, white teeth. He kissed Cas’ lips before slowly moving lower, peppering kisses over every patch of skin he came to; his throat, chest, belly before moving upwards again to nuzzle a nipple. He took the nub into his mouth teasingly and sucked at it and Cas splayed his hand over Dean’s back as he watched.

Then Dean moved onto the ugly bruises on his chest and he kissed each one lightly, nuzzling them and worshipping them until he came to the last one and moved onto the ones on his stomach. He did the same with his arms and hands and Cas only realised he was crying when Dean began peppering kisses over his face to chase the tears away.

“Come here, Angel,” whispered Dean as he rolled onto his side and opened his arms in invitation, and Cas scrambled into his chest and sobbed into his neck, gripping the alpha tightly.

Dean curled around him and stroked his hair and rubbed his back comfortingly.

Cas didn’t know whether he was crying because he’d lost everything he’d ever known in the span of an hour, because he’d wasted nine years with a man he’d convinced himself had loved him and suffered through years of abuse because of it, or whether it was because every part of him hurt and Dean had done the nicest thing anyone had ever done for him, but cry he did. 

He snuggled into the alpha and Dean supplied them with pillows and tucked a blanket around them both before tugging Cas close again and kissing his head.

“You’re safe,” whispered Dean. “You’re safe, I promise.” And Cas believed him.

“I shot him,” Cas whimpered, unable to come to terms with the fact and Dean nuzzled his hair.

“It’s alright. I ran over him.”

Cas huffed out a surprised laugh and Dean grinned and tucked the omega’s head into his chest. Cas kissed his tanned skin and Dean scented his hair.

“Let me take care of you?” Dean asked quietly and Cas nodded eagerly. He wanted that. He wanted someone to take care of him for once.

Dean gently rolled him onto his back as he straddled him again. “Close your eyes and relax,” he whispered and Cas did as ordered, smiling when Dean restarted the sweet kisses to his body.

The alpha took his time in lavishing Cas’ body with attention; tender kisses and nuzzles and teasing licks over his navel and nipples and when Dean began sucking on his fingers, Castiel groaned quietly. Dean didn’t leave an inch of skin untouched and he even rolled the omega onto his front to take care of the bruises on his back and shoulders.

Once he was on his back again, Dean trailed his tongue over Cas’ hips, kissing the bruises left from Michael’s finger tips. He carefully eased the omega’s legs apart and nuzzled the insides of his thighs, licking and kissing every centimetre of skin.

He smirked at Cas’ half-formed erection and kissed its tip playfully, licking a stripe up it when Castiel whined. The omega watched his every move and Dean shifted to nuzzle his testicles, licking them and sucking each one into his mouth with a hum.

He caught Cas’ gaze as he pulled off and wrapped his lips around the omega’s now-straining erection and Cas closed his eyes as Dean bobbed up and down.

He whined pathetically when the alpha released him, but his disappointment was short-lived because the alpha began lapping at his clitoris, sucking and licking at the slick leaking freely from it.

“Dean,” he moaned, head falling against the pillows and Dean smirked and worked him open with his tongue, humming in pleasure as he did so.

“Taste so sweet, Angel,” he breathed and Cas arched upwards when the alpha’s tongue plunged deep into him, tasting every part of him. 

Dean genuinely seemed to be enjoying himself and the thought that the alpha loved his unique scent made Castiel long for the alpha’s body to be flush with his, their hips rolling together and their tongues invading each other’s mouths. He’d never wanted anyone this desperately before.

Dean obviously read his mind because he slithered up his body and kissed the omega passionately and ripped his belt off. Castiel jumped into action and pulled the alpha’s jeans and underwear off and Dean chuckled into his mouth before fisting the omega’s hair and wrapping his free arm around his back as he lined their bodies up.

They rutted against each other for a few moments, their erections sliding together and hips grinding and soon they were panting into each other’s mouths, yearning for more.

Cas spread his legs and the alpha settled between them, their mouths never breaking apart and Dean produced a condom and tore open its packaging. 

Castiel let out a wrecked groan when Dean finally slipped into him.

He was still aching but he didn’t care because Dean was his and he was Dean’s and there was nowhere else he’d rather be in that moment than with his alpha. Dean was good and thoughtful and kind and he smelled right. 

Dean smelled like home.

“Mine,” breathed Dean before diving for his mouth again. Castiel arched as Dean thrusted into him, slow and purposeful and tender and he whimpered quietly, making Dean rumble.

Cas wrapped his legs around Dean’s hips and clutched desperately at the alpha’s back, silently begging for more and Dean was quick to oblige. The alpha picked up his pace, their kiss turning rough and needy and Cas no longer cared that his body was aching because he was where he belonged. He was safe and wanted and Dean would protect him. Dean would take care of him.

They pulled apart to breathe and Cas threw his head back when Dean latched onto his throat, sucking and nipping at it gently.

“You’re beautiful,” panted Dean and Cas locked gazes with him, heart pulsing a mile a minute. “You’re smart and sexy and good-natured and you deserve so much better than what life’s handed to you,” Dean managed, thrusts deep and quick. Cas rolled his hips upwards and Dean groaned and captured his mouth again.

Cas knew he wouldn’t last much longer and with the temperature Dean was running at, he guessed the alpha was close too. He cupped Dean’s cheek.

“Knot me, please,” he begged and he shuddered when the alpha pushed even deeper, filling every crevice.

After a few moments, Dean’s knot began to swell and the alpha was panting heavily, Cas no better. They kissed each other greedily, savouring the taste of one another and when Dean’s knot began to lock them together, Dean shifted to run his tongue over Cas’ throat, kissing and sucking it hotly.

Cas groaned and whimpered and made all sorts of omega noises that drove Dean’s alpha crazy and suddenly, Dean was whispering frantic words into his neck.

“I love you,” he hissed. “I love you, Cas. I want you. I want all of you. Want to mate you. Want to take care of you. Need you. I love you, Angel.”

Dean’s knot buried itself deep inside Cas and locked them together and Cas could feel more tears crawling down his skin.

“Yes,” he choked, not entirely sure what he was agreeing to. “Need you. Want you.” He crushed their lips together.

“I love you,” he panted into Dean’s mouth. “I love you, Dean. I love all of you.”

Dean continued thrusting despite his knot already being locked inside the omega and all Cas could think about was holding onto his alpha and never letting go. Pleasure took them by surprise and they both cried each other’s names before Dean’s limbs gave out on him and he rolled onto his back and dragged Castiel with him so as not to hurt him.

Cas sighed happily and settled down on Dean’s chest and the alpha held him tight, smiling at the feeling of his knot holding them together. It would be twenty minutes before they could separate.

Cas tucked his head under Dean’s with a hum of approval and Dean grinned and nosed at his hair.

Dean pulled the blanket around them both again and stroked the omega’s back, chuckling when Cas purred in contentment.

“Sleep, Angel,” he whispered and Cas closed his eyes with a sated smile.

“I really do love you, Dean,” he whispered sleepily and Dean beamed and nuzzled his hair again.

“And I love you too, Angel. Now sleep. You’ve had a long day.”

“Okay,” murmured Cas, relaxing under Dean’s warm hands as his body got used to the feeling of the alpha’s thick knot settling inside him. He was comfortable and full and his alpha had just told him he loved him.

He fell asleep with a smile; fairy lights twinkling all around him.

 

* * * 

 

Castiel woke up confused and disorientated. His body ached and throbbed and something was wrapped around him. Whatever it was, it was warm and smelled good and had managed to drape part of itself around Cas’ stomach.

The previous night came flooding back to him and he tensed for a second remembering the fight with Michael and the following evening with Dean.

He soon began to relax though because Dean’s hand was splayed possessively over his belly and the alpha’s nose was wedged into the back of his neck as he snored lightly. The tent was dark, which meant Dean had got up at some point without waking him to turn the generator off and Cas listened to the peaceful silence as he closed his eyes again.

He briefly wondered whether he should get up and leave whilst Dean was asleep; that was the protocol for one-night stands, right? Not to mention Dean probably wouldn’t be too comfortable with a detective in his home when he woke up.

But then he thought about the words they’d spoken to each other last night and Cas realised he didn’t want to move. He didn’t ever want to leave Dean’s arms.

Which was a problem considering he was a criminal.

Dean stirred behind him and Cas lay very still, waiting for the alpha’s reaction. At first, Dean froze, trying to work out who he was with, but the memories soon came rushing back and the alpha relaxed and nuzzled his neck, stroking his bare stomach with his thumb.

“Mornin’, Angel,” he greeted softly and Cas couldn’t help but smile and tug the fluffy blankets higher up their bodies.

“Good morning, Dean,” he murmured and Dean sighed and pulled him closer, kissing his shoulder tenderly.

They cuddled into each other’s naked bodies, smiling at their combined scents.

“I’m glad you stayed,” whispered Dean and Cas’ heart felt like it was going to burst. He wondered what it would be like to wake up like this every morning. “Wasn’t sure if you’d run.”

“Don’t want to go,” huffed Cas sleepily as he locked their fingers together over his belly.

Dean hummed in approval and kissed his neck.

“Then stay and have breakfast with me,” he mumbled into the omega’s neck and Cas made a sound of appreciation.

“You want a drink?” Dean asked quietly. “Coffee? Tea? Juice?”

Cas rolled over and buried his face into Dean’s chest, wrapping his arms around the alpha as he scented him contentedly.

“Coffee sounds good,” he murmured and when he didn’t move, Dean chuckled and cuddled closer to him, kissing his head and stroking his back.

“You’ve got to let me get up to make it,” he pointed out and Cas pouted and tightened his grip.

“I’ll only be a couple of minutes,” continued Dean. “I’ll even go naked so you can admire my awesome ass.”

Cas huffed out a laugh and kissed his chest in defeat before opening his arms and Dean wiggled out of the blankets and crawled through the door flap of the tent. 

Castiel stretched and shuffled towards the entrance, watching the naked alpha amble around the kitchen area. He unplugged the lights and shoved the kettle plug into the extension cord before emptying out a bottle of water for two cups. He grabbed some milk from his mini fridge and a couple of sachets of ground coffee it looked like were from the complementary trays in a hotel room.

Castiel couldn’t help but smile as he watched the alpha. He was so well-adapted at living simply and he was perfectly comfortable not having all the things most people said were necessary to live. Cas didn’t know what he expected of Dean’s living situation; maybe renting out a run-down flat or staying in a cheap, filthy motel, but he’d never expected the alpha to have no money whatsoever and be living in an abandoned barn.

It certainly explained why the police had never been able to track his residence.

Dean returned shortly with two camping mugs filled with delicious-smelling coffee and the alpha laughed when Cas immediately burrowed into his side to sip at his drink. Dean curled an arm around him and pressed his nose into his neck.

“Want bacon for breakfast?” Asked Dean and Cas marvelled at the generosity of the alpha.

He placed his cup on the floor at the side of the mattress, Dean copying, and lay down, pulling the alpha on top of him.

Dean began to kiss his face adoringly and Cas tangled his fingers in the alpha’s hair and captured his lips. They made out lazily for a few minutes before relaxing and just holding each other.

As their minds fully awoke, the smiles slipped from their faces as they came to terms with what had happened the previous night and what that meant for both of them.

“I can’t stay,” Cas whispered gently and Dean sighed sadly and kissed his shoulder.

“I know.”

“I want to,” murmured Cas and Dean pressed their lips together sweetly.

“I want you to.”

“I still have a duty to perform,” sighed Cas. “I shouldn’t have come here in the first place, but I’m glad I did. However, unless you really want to go to prison or I wish to become a renegade, I need to go. If my boss finds out I’ve been with you…” Cas let the idea hang between them and Dean’s hands settled on his hips.

“I don’t want to get you fired,” he mumbled. “Especially not after all the hard work you’ve put in to be an omega in the force.”

“And I really don’t want you to go to prison,” breathed Cas.

Dean smiled in amusement and kissed the omega’s head.

“Any idea where you want to go?”

“I could stay at a hotel for a bit whilst I work out new living arrangements,” murmured Cas and Dean nodded.

“You’re always welcome here if anything goes wrong,” he offered quietly and Castiel’s heart clenched because that’s what he desperately wanted; to be with Dean.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

“At least stay the morning,” pleaded Dean. “Nobody knows you’re here. I’ll take you anywhere you want this afternoon; we can go get your car and I’ll make sure you get to a decent hotel, but please… just… stay with me this morning.” The alpha glanced away. “It’s not often I get visitors.”

Cas’ heart was going to break. Dean was lonely. He had no friends and Cas was probably the first person he’d ever invited back to his home.

He kissed the alpha’s lips and rested their foreheads together.

“Okay, Dean,” he agreed before frowning. “But we can’t get the car today. Michael will have probably gone to hospital and he’ll have told people what happened. The police will be swarming around there and they’ll be trying to work out where I am and how I was involved. They might think you’ve kidnapped me. That’s why I need to leave today. We’ll both be in a lot of trouble if I don’t.”

Dean pulled a face and scented Cas’ neck deeply, kissing the horrific mating bite Michael had torn into his skin.

“Should’ve kidnapped you ages ago,” he huffed. “Should’ve stolen you away when we first met.”

“And I would’ve just hated you and tried to get back to him,” said Castiel softly. “And then you really would be facing prison.”

They held each other for a few more minutes before Dean finally sighed.

“C’mon. Let’s get some breakfast.”

Cas followed without complaint.

 

* * *

 

Showering had been a lot more light-hearted. 

Bobby had merely nodded and smiled at them when they traipsed into the campsite and they were thankful there had been nobody in the washroom building.

They had started out with good intentions; each taking their own shower cubicle, but then Cas had heard the alpha humming a Taylor Swift song and he’d had to see it for himself. He’d crept into Dean’s cubicle and the sight of the alpha soaping himself down and running shampoo through his hair was an image Castiel hoped would make an appearance in his dreams. 

He slid behind the alpha and wrapped his arms around him and at first Dean startled, but then he laughed and whirled and pressed Cas against the cubicle wall as he kissed him senseless.

They ended up washing each other in between kisses and the whole affair aroused Castiel more than he’d liked to admit. Somehow, Dean’s knot found its way into Cas’ mouth and the alpha groaned shamelessly as Castiel’s tongue worked magic around it.

Now they were in Cas’ room in a hotel in the middle of the city and neither one of them could say goodbye. 

“Cas, I…” Dean didn’t know what he wanted to say and he trailed off awkwardly, glancing at his feet.

“I don’t want you to leave,” admitted Cas softly and Dean looked up at him with a pained expression.

“I don’t want to leave you.”

Dean crossed the floor and pulled him into a hug and they clutched each other desperately, scenting and nuzzling to make the moment last.

“Thank you for rescuing me,” Cas murmured. “I… I don’t know what would’ve happened if you hadn’t saved me.”

Dean squeezed him protectively.

“Don’t say that,” he breathed, kissing the top of the omega’s head. “You’re safe now and he won’t ever hurt you again.”

“Promise me you won’t stop texting me,” whispered Cas and Dean chuckled weakly.

“I’ll call you every day until I get caught.”

Cas paused. Dean had never spoken about being caught by the police before; he’d never made any indication that he thought he ever would get caught. Why was Dean suddenly talking about getting caught?

“Like that’ll ever happen,” huffed Cas and instead of the witty remark he was accustomed to, Dean remained silent.

Cas frowned and kissed the alpha’s lips as he cupped his cheek.

“I’m not going to turn you in,” he promised. “Trust me, Dean. I wouldn’t do that to you.”

Dean smiled but the expression was almost melancholy.

“I know you won’t, Angel.”

Cas didn’t like Dean talking like that so he kissed the alpha roughly and buried his face into his neck.

“Be careful, Dean,” he whispered and the alpha nodded and held him close.

“I really do love you,” Dean murmured against his hair and Cas nearly broke. He nearly begged for Dean to stay; nearly asked him to take him back to the old barn where they could stay together and mate one another and take care of each other.

But he couldn’t give up his job. He’d put far too much effort and hard work into doing what he loved and he couldn’t become a criminal; it would go against every moral he had. It would be like spitting on his parents’ graves; almost like agreeing with their murderer. He couldn’t do that.

So instead, he closed his eyes and hugged Dean.

“I love you too.”

Dean smiled sadly and released the omega, backing towards the door slowly.

“Good luck, Cas. Guess I’ll see you on our next case.”

He gave a little wave and Cas watched the alpha he loved disappear behind the door.

He realised there were tear stains rolling down his cheeks.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aww :(


	8. Chapter 8

Castiel was dreading going back into work on Monday. He knew Michael would have told the police about him and Dean shooting him then running him over and his heart was racing just thinking about all the questioning he’d have to go through. Technically it was self-defence, but would his boss see it that way?

When he returned on Monday, still temporarily residing in the hotel, Benny and Balthazar sprinted over to him with expressions of horror and he realised they were staring at his battered face. They ushered him into an empty office and locked the door behind them.

“He deserved to get shot,” snarled Balthazar as Benny nodded in agreement and Castiel’s eyes blew wide because that wasn’t the reaction he’d been expecting.

“…He told you what happened?” Cas asked carefully and Benny clenched his fists.

“He told us Dean broke into the house, put a knife to your throat, shot him then kidnapped you and hit him with his car. He conveniently left out the part where he beat you half to death.”

Castiel couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Wait… you didn’t believe him?”

Balthazar snorted. “Please. The only reason we’ve not arrested that scum bag is because you were adamant that you were happy and he wasn’t abusing you. Unless you’re about to tell us Dean did this to you, we’re fairly certain Michael deserved everything that happened to him.”

Castiel’s knees were weak.

“So… is Dean being charged with assault… or…?” He choked out and Benny narrowed his eyes, mind jumping to the wrong conclusions.

“ _Should_ he be charged with assault?”

Balthazar looked alarmed. “Cassie? What happened to you? _Did_ Dean do this?”

Castiel shook his head frantically.

“No! Dean… Dean saved my life. Again. Michael… Michael had a knife. He was furious with me; thought I was cheating on him and I locked myself in a bathroom. I was terrified and I didn’t know what to do and the first thing I could think of was… calling Dean.”

Both alphas’ eyebrows rocketed upwards.

“You called Dean?” Asked Benny in surprise. “How do you have his number?”

Cas closed his eyes guiltily. “I was off duty and we ran into each other. He gave me his number and I… I couldn’t… I can’t trace it. I can’t betray his trust like that. Not after everything he’s done for me,” he murmured, keeping his voice low.

Balthazar and Benny glanced at each other before Balthazar shook his head.

“You should’ve told us you’d had contact with him, off duty or not. You could get into some serious trouble for this; he’s still a criminal.”

Cas’ mouth drew into a thin line.

“I know, but I’m glad I didn’t because when I was locked in that bathroom facing a mate who was determined to cut me up, Dean came for me. Despite having every reason not to and despite the consequences of breaking into the house with a weapon, he rescued me anyway. He saved me and tried to protect me but Michael followed us and held a knife to my throat. He told Dean to leave but he wouldn’t and threatened to shoot Michael. 

“Michael started taunting him and Dean couldn’t do it. He’s never shot anyone and he probably never will. I used the distraction to disarm Michael and I grabbed Dean’s gun and shot him in the leg. I ran to Dean’s car and we tried to escape, but Michael must have stood up and attempted to break into the car because when Dean backed up, we accidentally ran him over.

“We left him once we knew he was alive and Dean took me to his home so I had somewhere to stay.”

Benny and Balthazar balked.

“You went to a criminal’s house?” Hissed Balthazar in disbelief as Benny ran a hand through his hair.

“Castiel, do you realise how much trouble you’ll be in if Crowley finds out?” Whispered Benny. “The shooting you can pass off as self-defence and the hit-and-run will be passed on to Dean, which… I suppose we could also class as an attempt to protect you if he’s lucky… but voluntarily staying in a criminal’s home and not releasing his contact number when you received it? That’s some real trouble you’ve got yourself into.”

Cas sighed and scrubbed a hand down his face.

“I know. It’s a mess. But… Dean’s saved my life twice now. Surely that counts for something?”

“Depends whether you’re willing to release Dean’s location of residence,” said Balthazar. “You can act as though you let Dean ‘kidnap’ you so you could get information on his whereabouts if you release the details.”

Cas closed his eyes and shook his head.

“…I can’t do that to him.”

Balthazar looked desperate and frustrated. “Why not? He’s just a thief at the end of the day. Is a criminal really worth losing your job over? Cassie, it’ll go on your record that you withheld information from the police and that you possibly have criminal tendencies. Don’t throw your life away for him!”

“We had sex,” sighed Castiel and both alphas clamped their mouths shut, eyes wide.

“Of course you did,” groaned Balthazar, slapping his forehead.

“And just how do you plan on explaining that one to the boss?” Drawled Benny, unimpressed and Castiel sunk onto the desk defeatedly.

“I have no idea. I didn’t expect to get this far to be honest. I thought I’d be arrested the moment I walked into the station. Or at least interrogated.”

“There’s time yet,” scoffed Balthazar and Castiel shot him a filthy look.

“Dean’s a good man,” huffed Cas and Balthazar’s expression softened.

“He’s still a thief. No matter how much you like him.”

“Yeah, well, it turns out he likes me too,” mumbled Cas and Benny’s mouth tugged downwards.

“Somethin’ tells me you mean as more than friends or potential bed mates.”

Castiel looked up at him tiredly and both alphas shared a silent glance before they took his sides.

“Got yourself in quite the pickle, huh?” Murmured Benny and Cas nodded exhaustedly.

“Is a mate who loves me too much to ask?” He whispered and Balthazar glanced at his lap.

“I’m secretly pleased Dean ran over Michael,” he confessed. “And I’d be happy you found someone like Dean if the man wasn’t at the top of our wanted list.”

“I can’t turn him in,” murmured Cas. “Not after everything he’s done for me. Not after everything he’s told me. He just had a bad start in life and he’s been punished for it ever since. I can’t give up his location. He doesn’t even have running water and he uses a generator for electricity. He has nothing and I can’t betray him like that.”

Balthazar carefully slid his arm around Cas and the omega leaned into him, resting his head on his shoulder as Benny watched with a sad frown.

“I miss you both,” whispered Cas, voice weak and distressed. “I miss having fun with you; going out and being around you. I stopped it all because I thought I only needed Michael and it was the worst mistake of my life because I really needed you guys. I miss having friends.”

Balthazar and Benny grimaced and the slimmer alpha wrapped both arms around the omega and held him close as Benny stroked a soothing palm down Cas’ back.

“You’ve always got us, Cassie,” whispered Balthazar. “No matter what happens, we’ll always be here.”

“I snapped at you so often because you questioned Michael’s intentions and I should’ve listened,” whimpered Cas. “I should’ve listened to you both but I was stubborn and stupid and I let him control me and now look at the mess I’ve made.”

Benny’s warm palm was grounding.

“You’re not stupid, Cas. A little naïve, maybe, but definitely not stupid. You’ve finally realised what he was doing and now you’re free. You stood up to him and we’re proud of you for that. Very proud. You were brave and there are very few people who could do what you did. If you’re willing to stand in court, once he’s discharged from hospital we could lock him up for domestic abuse so he can’t do it to anyone else,” said Benny quietly in that comforting southern drawl.

“Just give me a time and date and I’ll be there,” promised Cas.

Both alphas smiled and Castiel relaxed between them. Their scents weren’t as inviting as Dean’s, but they were still safe and familiar in that way old, close friends were. They’d always been good to him.

“Crowley will ask you to write a report,” murmured Benny. “He’ll want to know what happened in writing and I don’t know how you’re going to explain your escapades with Dean, but you’ll have to come up with something.”

“Know we’ll support you, whatever you choose to disclose,” said Balthazar and Castiel glanced at his friends appreciatively. That was their way of saying if he chose to lie, they’d go along with it.

“I’m going to tell the truth,” promised Cas and Balthazar and Benny nodded in understanding.

“Good luck,” offered Benny and Cas managed a small smile before Balthazar put a hand on his back and guided him out of the office.

 

* * *

 

Crowley did ask for a report. He had two weeks to write it and in that time, he was on light duty which meant no cases, just paperwork.

On the due date, Castiel had already begun emptying his belongings out of his drawers. There was no way he wouldn’t get fired for his actions and whichever way he worded his report, it didn’t hide the fact he’d purposefully avoided sending Dean to jail. He’d be lucky if he didn’t get sentenced for interfering with the course of justice.

If by some miracle he didn’t end up in jail, at least he would have a house to return to whilst Michael was in hospital, even if only temporarily.

His phone rang and he noticed it was an in-house call. He gulped and picked up the receiver.

“Bring that report once you’re finished,” Crowley said and Cas choked out a “Yes, sir,” before the line fell silent.

He stared at his report, all neatly printed and filed. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath and began the short walk to Crowley’s office.

He knocked twice and heard the familiar “Enter,” and when he shuffled in, Crowley glanced over him, assessing his posture and probably wondering why he looked like he was going to cry.

“I trust you’ve been honest and thorough?” Crowley asked as he held his hand out and Castiel nodded stiffly as he placed the file in his boss’ grasp like it was the key to his freedom.

Crowley lifted an eyebrow. “Don’t look so worried, Novak. I’m sure everything will be sorted out once we clarify the details. You might even get your house back permanently.”

Cas smiled weakly.

There was a knock on the door.

Both alpha and omega turned to the door, which opened to reveal Charlie.

“Um… Cas? We’ve got Dean on the line. He’s asking for you.”

Cas raised an eyebrow as Crowley glanced at him subtly before returning his gaze to Charlie. He cleared his throat and Cas turned to him.

“We’d better go see what he wants,” stated Crowley.

Cas nodded as Crowley raised to his feet and the pair ambled into the main area of the station, where it seemed like the entire LAPD was gathered around one desk. Cas took his usual seat and licked his lips nervously as he reached for the phone. He really hoped Dean didn’t make any implication about their weekend together; not when the whole station was listening in.

“Hello, Dean,” Cas greeted as he picked up the phone, but his heart was hammering in his chest.

“Hey, Angel,” replied Dean and immediately Cas knew there was something wrong. Dean sounded out of breath; in pain even.

“I, ah… I seem to have got myself in a bit of a mess,” chuckled Dean, but the sound was forced and he ended the sentence with a coughing fit. There were murmurs of confusion around the station.

“What happened?” Asked Cas. “Where are you?”

The alpha coughed again, groaning softly in pain and Cas’ blood pressure rocketed skywards because something was severely wrong.

“I’ve been stabbed,” wheezed Dean and Cas’ blood turned to ice. 

“Remember Roman’s escapee client? Metatron? He didn’t take too kindly to me saving you. Ran into him on the latest job and… well…” The alpha coughed wetly and Cas already had his trench coat on and was pulling out his car keys.

“Where are you, Dean?”

“Around the back of the Hilton. Where they keep the trash.” A ragged breath.

“I’m coming. Put pressure on the wound and don’t move,” ordered Cas and there was a weak laugh from the other end, which tapered off into a sob and Cas’ heart clenched because Dean was frightened and in agony and there was no one around to help him.

“Cas…” croaked out Dean. “You won’t make it.”

Cas refused to believe that. “I will,” he promised before sprinting out of the station, leaving his stunned colleagues behind.

The rain was heavy and the sky dull and grey. Why was it always raining when something terrible happened? It was as though the Earth itself was crying and Cas wished it would stop because traffic always moved slower when it rained. He ran six lights and broke over a dozen speed limits to get to Dean. He parked his old Continental on double yellows and didn’t care if it got towed because the ten-minute drive there had felt like an eternity and he needed to get to his alpha.

He swung around the corner of the Hilton, ran down the alley and skidded around the next corner to where the bin bags were piling up.

He could see a soggy Dean propped against one of the bags, shirt stained a deep red and body pale. 

Cas pushed himself faster, uncaring of the rain battering against his body and stopped breathing when he noticed how still Dean was; his eyes closed and chest unmoving.

_No._

“Dean!” Yelled Cas desperately as he dropped to his knees, straight into a puddle and pressed his fingers to the pulse point in the alpha’s neck. Nothing.

Cas’ brain shifted into autopilot. He dragged the alpha’s body until it was sprawled over the floor and immediately began chest compressions. Thirty chest compressions for every two mouth-to-mouth breaths.

He barely took notice of the blood making his hands sticky. He needed to restart Dean’s heart. He thumped mechanically on the alpha’s chest, giving him air every so often and his arms ached with exertion.

After six minutes, Dean took a breath.

Cas choked out a sob before ripping the alpha’s cold, soaked shirt off and assessing his wound. One deep blow to the left abdomen. He pressed down on the wound harshly to stop the never-ending blood flow and Dean cried out in agony, eyes glazed and mind disorientated and confused. He scrabbled frantically at Castiel’s hands, trying to push him away and Cas made a soft sound of distress at seeing Dean in so much pain and fear. He smelled all wrong.

“Dean, it’s me. It’s Cas. You need to calm down. Everything’s going to be okay.”

Dean paused and his gaze began to focus as he turned to Castiel.

“Angel?” He whispered groggily and Cas nodded. 

“I’m here,” breathed Cas. “Everything’s going to be fine. You’re going to be okay.”

Dean stared at him with trust and faith that Cas didn’t believe he deserved. 

That was the moment Balthazar and Benny came sprinting around the corner. They stopped and stared in horror at the amount of blood pooling around Dean’s body.

“Call an ambulance!” Shouted Castiel and Balthazar responded quickly as Benny rushed over to help the omega.

“Get him some water,” ordered Cas. “He needs as much liquid as possible.”

Benny nodded and ran off to fulfil the demand as Cas pressed harder against the weeping wound. Dean was beginning to shake.

Cas shrugged off his trench and lay it over the alpha before slipping his hands underneath it, pushing on the wound and Dean pulled the coat closer to his chin so he could scent it. It relaxed him and Cas sighed in relief when the alpha’s breathing began to even out.

“You’re safe,” whispered Cas. “An ambulance is on its way and you’re going to be okay.” He wasn’t sure which of them needed more convincing but Dean glanced up at him through messy, wet hair to show he was listening. Cas realised he was crying; they both were.

“When this is all over, you’re going to live with me,” whispered Cas. “You’re going to live with me and you’ll never have to worry about being lonely again. We’ll take care of each other and we can start a family. We’ll be together and we won’t have to deal with criminals and crazy exes ever again because we’ll have each other and I’ll introduce you to Benny and Balthazar and my other friends. You’ll get along with them so well; they already think you’re awesome.”

Dean smiled and Cas choked out a laugh. They both knew that would never happen, but it was a nice thought and Cas needed Dean to stay relaxed so his bleeding wouldn’t speed up.

Dean slowly reached up to cup Cas’ cheek and the omega leaned into his hand, closing his eyes and trying not to think about the amount of blood around them. Dean’s blood.

Dean wheezed slightly as he breathed and Cas gazed at him worriedly. The alpha merely smiled and continued to watch him so Cas pressed a soft kiss to his palm.

“I love you,” he breathed. “I love you, Dean. I need you to get through this. I need my alpha to be okay at the end of this.”

Dean’s mouth opened and closed silently for a few seconds before words finally fell from his lips.

“…I… I’m your… alpha?”

Cas nodded. “Yes,” he whispered. “You’re my alpha and I’m your omega.”

Dean’s eyes crinkled in happiness and Cas huffed out a laugh.

Benny soon ran over with a bottle of water, Balthazar hovering by his side worriedly.

“Here, brother. Drink this,” muttered Benny as he offered the wounded alpha a drink. Dean took it and downed it greedily.

“Thanks,” he whispered, voice a little stronger and head a little clearer and Benny smiled at him.

It wasn’t long before sirens could be heard blasting through the city.

When the paramedics finally arrived, they pushed Cas, Benny and Balthazar out of the way before supplying Dean with oxygen and loading him onto a stretcher and hooking him up to fluids.

Dean looked a little dazed and he reached out to Cas in confusion, whining behind the oxygen mask.

Cas took a step towards the ambulance, but a stern-looking beta woman stepped in his way.

“Only direct family are allowed in the van.”

Cas recoiled but Balthazar and Benny were quick to back him up.

“Cassie is his mate,” Balthazar lied, placing a hand on the omega’s shoulder and Cas’ eyes widened as the beta nodded and stepped aside for him. Cas spared his friends a grateful glance before hopping into the ambulance and taking Dean’s hand. The alpha immediately settled and one of the paramedics offered him an appreciative smile.

Cas caressed Dean’s knuckles with his thumb and the alpha turned to gaze at him; eyes open and trusting and Castiel squeezed his hand gently.

“You’re going to be okay,” reassured Cas and Dean nodded and relaxed as the paramedics began inspecting his wound and asking Cas what had happened.

He drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

 

* * *

 

When he next woke up, he was in a white room with strange clicks and beeps ticking rhythmically around him. There was a tube leading into his nose and it was possibly the most uncomfortable thing Dean had ever felt. At least the bed was soft.

There was something warm gripping the hand that didn’t have a drip shoved into it.

He gave the object a curious squeeze and it squeezed back lightly, so Dean turned his head slightly to find a mop of dark hair resting against his bed and a body hunched over in a chair. He’d recognise that honey and forest scent anywhere.

The bloodied trench coat hanging behind the door was a bit of a giveaway too.

“Cas?” Dean croaked, voice hoarse and throat sore.

The omega startled and shot upright, eyes wide and mind not fully awake.

“Dean?” He asked and then his whole face brightened and his eyes crinkled in relief, a smile tugging at his lips. It was the most beautiful sight Dean had ever witnessed.

“Dean,” said Cas again, this time in happiness and Dean couldn’t help but grin when the omega jumped up to get him a glass of water, which the alpha gladly accepted.

“You came,” breathed Dean and Castiel chuckled in amusement.

“Told you I’d make it.”

“Thank you.”

Castiel took Dean’s hand in both of his and began toying with his fingers gently and the alpha watched him for a few moments before his heart began to ache with longing.

“I don’t want to steal anymore,” he blurted. “I don’t want to do that if it means I can’t be with you.”

Castiel blinked in surprise before grinning and Dean smiled hesitantly in return.

“I’ve noticed I’m becoming more careless during jobs. I can’t focus because all I can think about is how I might’ve taken you out for a date if I wasn’t a thief. I should’ve seen Metatron coming a mile away. He wasn’t particularly quiet and I’ve got far more muscle on him. I’ve been doing this kind of thing for years; evading other criminals, staying out of the way of the police, but I was distracted and I didn’t even notice him until he was right behind me. I didn’t even give him a fight; he just stabbed me and ran off. I don’t make mistakes like that. I don’t completely tune out my surroundings, but since getting to know you, I can’t focus.”

Dean frowned. “I don’t want to focus on that stuff anymore. I want to be a normal alpha with a normal job and a normal house. I don’t want my face plastered all over the media. I don’t want to be on the wrong side of the law for the rest of my life.” He glanced towards the omega. “I… I want you, Cas. I want to at least have a shot at being with you.”

“I thought you’d been quiet these past few weeks,” murmured Cas. “We’ve not had any cases from you for a while now.” He gazed at the alpha. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. I was seriously beginning to contemplate becoming a renegade.”

Dean huffed out a shocked laugh. “You’d actually do that? Turn in your badge to date an alpha you’ve been trying to put in jail?”

“Since I’m going to be fired after today anyway, I don’t see much of a problem with that,” sighed Cas and Dean’s eyes widened in alarm.

“They’re firing you for saving my life?”

“They’re going to fire me because I’ve had your number for months and I refuse to release the location of your home,” corrected Cas quietly. “They could sentence me if they see fit.”

Dean gaped and shook his head frantically. “No, they can’t do that! It was my fault! I forced my number on you and I… I kidnapped you! You had no say in the matter because I drove you to my home whether you wanted to or not! They can’t fire you for that! Blame it on me!”

Cas carded soothing fingers through the alpha’s hair.

“Sshh… it’s okay, Dean. I wrote a report about everything. I’ll just… look for a new job. I’ve saved enough to keep me going for a couple of years in case I can’t find a job immediately. I’ll be okay.” His gaze turned troubled. “You're the one who's been stabbed. How are you, Dean?”

Dean huffed out a hollow laugh. “Alive.”

“I can see that.”

The alpha sighed and closed his eyes. “My stomach hurts a little and I can’t wait to get this tube out of my nose, but other than that, I’m fine.” He opened his eyes and the pair stared at one another for a few moments.

“I’m going to prison, aren’t I?” Whispered Dean and Cas flinched and nodded hesitantly.

“Once the hospital discharges you, you’ll face a hearing.”

Dean scrubbed a hand down his face.

“America’s top wanted with a list of crimes long enough to fill a Tolkien trilogy. I’m going away for a very long time. I’ll be surprised if I ever see another sunrise.”

“The station’s going to defend you.”

Dean whirled sharply to face Cas. “What?”

A hint of a smile played about Cas’ lips. “I can’t guarantee what your sentence will be, but all the officers at the station are going to put in a good word for you, me included.”

“…Why?” Asked Dean, bewildered and the omega shook his head.

“Why? Dean, you helped us catch over a hundred criminals! Murderers, rapists and drug dealers included. Half the station thinks you’re a hero and the other half thinks you should be given a medal. Not to mention you’ve saved countless lives. Innocent lives. The airport being the best example of that.” Castiel chuckled. “They were actually upset to hear you’d been caught. Your phone calls and cases were the highlight of everybody’s week; you have a fan club.”

Dean choked out a laugh. “Seriously?”

Cas stared him dead in the eye, face neutral.

“The nurses have a sack of cards and fan mail for you in their office. Half of it is from the LAPD; the other half is from civilians you saved or who just admire you. They were going to give it to you when you woke up.”

Dean burst out laughing, uncaring if the action made his stomach ache. Cas was chuckling, they were both alive and apparently he had a fan club which contained most of the LAPD.

“Well, they’ll give me something to read in prison,” grinned Dean and Cas’ smile dimmed slightly.

“What you said earlier, about losing focus and not being able to concentrate… is that what you meant at the hotel? You said you’d call me until you ‘got caught’. Is that what you meant? You had a feeling you were going to get caught because you couldn’t concentrate on jobs anymore?”

Dean nodded.

Cas sighed. “At first, I thought you believed I was going to hand you over to my boss, then I started to wonder whether you were going to hand yourself in.”

Dean shook his head. “I’m not that noble.”

“Then maybe I should take my job offer elsewhere?” Drawled a new voice and both alpha and omega turned to find Crowley leaning in the doorway, Castiel’s report in his grasp.

“The infamous Dean Winchester. We meet at last,” hummed Crowley as he stepped into the room and immediately, Cas gripped Dean’s hand, subtly trying to gauge his boss’ intentions.

“Down, boy,” chuckled Crowley as he glanced at Castiel. “I’m not here to threaten him.”

Castiel flushed pink and looked away and Dean eyed the other alpha suspiciously as he sat upright.

“Fergus Crowley,” Crowley introduced as he offered his hand to Dean, but Dean narrowed his eyes.

“You’re Cas’ boss,” he accused. He’d heard of this alpha many times during his late-night chats at the station. 

Crowley raised an eyebrow as Dean continued.

“You can’t fire him.”

Crowley blinked in surprise. “Fire whom?”

“Cas,” huffed Dean. “You can’t fire him for that report. I should never have got involved with him; I put him in an awkward position and it’s my fault he did what he did.”

Crowley smirked. “Whilst I can definitely agree you placed my detective in multiple awkward positions, including missionary and downward dog, I’m not going to fire him because of this report.”

Castiel’s cheeks flamed as he let his head fall into his hands and Dean stared wide-eyed at the other alpha before casting his gaze to the omega.

“When you said you included everything, I didn’t think you meant… y’know… _everything_ ,” he said drily and Castiel groaned softly as Crowley snickered.

“Castiel is very thorough. I assume you already know that though,” he commented as he glanced at Dean and the younger alpha dropped his gaze.

“So… you’re not here to fire me?” Asked Cas hopefully and Crowley shook his head.

“I am going to give you a warning though. One more stunt like that and you’ll be off the force and possibly in cuffs. However, considering the circumstances, I understand why you did what you did. Dean saved your life twice and he protected you from a mentally-unstable alpha who will be transferred to our custody in two days’ time.”

Both Cas and Dean blinked in shock and Crowley smirked again.

“Don’t look so surprised. I’ve never liked that mate of yours and the only reason I’ve never sent anyone in to arrest him for spousal abuse is because you were so adamant you loved him and you physically snarled at anyone who dared to insinuate he was anything but perfect. At least you’ve finally figured out the truth, even if you chose to call a criminal for help instead of the police you work with every day.” He stared at Catiel, unimpressed and the omega ducked his head guiltily.

“No, the reason I’m here is to offer said criminal a job as an undercover investigator,” stated Crowley and Dean’s mouth fell open.

“What? Why?”

“You’re good at what you do,” shrugged Crowley. “You haven’t been caught for years despite your endless phone calls and teasing of the station. Sometimes you’ve been right under our noses and we still couldn’t arrest you. You’ve never had an unsuccessful job other than this last slip up and you have better morals than half the city. You solve cases quicker than we do and you’ve helped us immensely these past few years. Not to mention you work extremely well with a certain detective.”

Crowley’s lips quirked upwards. “We need you, Winchester. And whilst I can’t determine the length of time you’re going to be locked away for, I can promise my station is going to do everything in its power to help reduce your sentence. Once you’re out, if you’re still interested, come to the station and we’ll fill in your paperwork. You’ll have a steady wage.”

He glanced at Castiel. “And I’m sure the detective can set you up with accommodation?”

Dean looked to be in shock and Crowley nodded. “Have a think about it.”

He turned to Castiel and held out the report.

“You might want to destroy this. We have a copy with a few… corrections. Just to cover all our backsides in case the chief decides to hold an inspection.”

Castiel took the report in stunned silence. Crowley quirked a smug smile and made his way to the door.

“Thank you, Sir,” said Cas and Crowley nodded and glided out of the room.

Castiel glanced at the thoughtful Dean.

“That was… unexpected,” he murmured and Dean nodded in agreement.

“Investigator, huh? I like the sound of that. I’ll be like a spy,” grinned Dean and Cas chuckled.

“You’ll be good at it as long as you don’t go around telling everyone you’re James Bond.”

Dean grinned and slotted their hands together.

“Imagine that. Us working together on the same side of the law.” His gaze flicked over to the omega. “You’ll get tired of me.”

“I’ll probably want to shoot you after a month,” Cas agreed.

“And living together, too? I better start house-hunting quick, huh?”

“I won’t be happy when I wake up to find you’ve stolen all the food in the kitchen.”

“Think you can keep up with me, detective?”

“I’ll purposefully blow your cover if you wake me up before ten on a weekend.”

“See you when I get out of prison, Angel.”

“Looking forward to it, thief.”

Dean laughed and yanked Castiel into his arms, holding him close. They scented each other for a few moments, closing their eyes and relaxing into each other’s bodies and Dean put his lips by Cas’ ear.

“Thank you for saving my life.”

“One down, one to repay,” whispered Cas and Dean squeezed him a little tighter before a nurse bustled into the room, looking irritated that she hadn’t been informed Dean had woken up from surgery.

“Time to go,” mumbled Cas and he kissed the alpha’s head as he straightened. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” he promised and Dean grinned happily because he would get to see his omega again soon.

“See you, Angel.”

“Get a shower; you stink,” Cas informed him and Dean stuck his tongue out, making his friend chuckle and leave him at the mercy of the irate nurse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One chapter to go, guys and it's more of an epilogue really. Hope you've enjoyed the ride!
> 
> Bonus points to anyone who can guess the rock song that inspired me to write this fic ;) Hint: it's been played in Season 2 of the show.


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick warning... The following chapter contains a case where it is implied that underage teenagers are forced to sell their bodies for money. There is nothing graphic in there, but I thought I'd put up a warning anyway.

Michael was charged with prolonged spousal battery and attempted murder. He would spend the next twenty-five years in prison.

Dean was discharged two weeks later. His stomach still throbbed sometimes but the hospital had other patients who needed the bed more than Dean did and there was nothing else they could do for him. The pain would fade eventually.

He was made to stay in a cell overnight, which wasn’t too bad because Castiel and the rest of the station popped down to visit and meet him, so he was never actually alone. It gave him a start on his fan-mail. He even got a call from Sam, which was exciting, even if his brother did call him an idiot at least six times.

The next morning, he stood before a judge in court.

The judge, like many judges, was an alpha. He had golden hair, calculating amber eyes and a wicked smirk and despite being a whole head shorter than Dean, he was possibly one of the most intimidating people Dean had ever met. He constantly smirked as though he was witnessing a joke no one else was privy to and he watched Dean as though he was plotting the cruellest, most diabolical fate he was legally allowed to punish him with.

In an ironic twist, the man was named Gabriel Justice.

Even the lawyers looked nervous around him.

Dean was certain he was going to be sentenced to life in prison, but Crowley stuck to his word and when asked to the stand, he told the jury of Dean’s record with helping the police lower crime rate in LA. He rattled off some fancy statistics and charmed them with complicated, intelligent-sounding technical terms before listing the cases in which Dean had saved the life of an innocent.

Gabriel remained quiet throughout the entire affair, smirking and fingers tapping lightly on his desk as he propped his chin up with his free hand.

He didn't interrupt when Cas took the stand, explaining how Dean had saved his life twice and had protected him from Michael, even if he didn’t reveal the composition of their night together. His expression never changed as members of the jury scribbled down notes and he continued to say nothing when the other witnesses stood before the court.

Dean began to lose confidence because the judge clearly had it in for him and with his record of robbery, treason (from the Roman case), hit-and-run (Michael), kidnapping (Cas), evasion of road tax (whoops) and a string of other minor offences, Dean was looking at a minimum of forty years, he could tell.

Only when the lawyers had presented the entirety of their cases and the trial was at its end, did Gabriel clear his throat.

“Quite an impressive list of law-breaking,” he drawled, eyes twinkling with mischief and smirk wide and condescending. “Although you do seem to have a few friends on the force.”

Dean lowered his head respectfully as the court fell silent, everyone eagerly awaiting the judge’s words.

“You’ve also presented a very challenging case to my students,” continued Gabriel. “I’ve asked them to do a project on your case and one of them in particular is highly invested in the outcome. We’ve discussed it in great depths and he’s given me a very unique perspective. A bright student who came from nothing, like yourself.”

Gabriel let that comment sink in and Dean slowly raised his head, eyes wide as he began to put two and two together.

Gabriel winked.

“Eighteen months in prison. I think you’ll have learned your lesson by then. Dismissed.” Gabriel tapped his gavel and it was possibly the most abrupt end to a court proceeding ever heard of but Dean didn’t care about that because: _eighteen months?_ That was it? 

Was someone playing a prank?

There was an eruption of cheering from the LAPD and Dean startled as people began clapping for him even as Benny and Balthazar gently pulled him to his feet and led him out of the courtroom with cuffs binding his hands. As he was being led down an empty corridor, Gabriel suddenly appeared in front of him.

“I have a feeling my student will be pleased with the outcome, don’t you?” He hummed, eyes sharp and smirk amused.

Dean nodded slowly. “You’re Sam’s professor?”

“I am. He’s proud of you. Maybe influenced my decision about your case.”

Dean’s eyes widened. “Thank you, Sir.”

“Don’t give me a reason to regret my decision, kid.”

“I won’t,” promised Dean and Gabriel eyed him once more before wedging a lollipop between his lips and sauntering away.

 _What a weird guy,_ thought Dean. He shrugged and let the officers bundle him in the squad car.

Just as Benny started the engine, Cas sprinted over and Balthazar rolled the window down for him.

“Congratulations,” offered Cas and Dean chuckled.

“Everyone keeps congratulating me for getting sentenced to prison. I’m not sure how to feel.”

Cas grinned. “You should be thankful you’ll get to see another sunrise.”

Dean laughed and gazed at his friend fondly.

“…You gonna wait for me, Angel?” He whispered and Cas’ face softened and he leaned over to press his lips to Dean’s forehead.

“Actually, I was thinking of offering my sexy ass to Crowley for that new management position that’s just opened up,” winked Cas and Dean snorted and nipped the omega’s lips.

“You’re supposed to say you’ll wait for me for a thousand sunrises and a thousand more sunsets until I’m finally where I belong in your arms.”

“I think mine’s more poetic.”

Dean grinned and hummed happily when Cas pressed their lips together.

“Death didn’t part us so I suppose I’m in it for the long haul,” murmured Cas as he brushed his thumb over Dean’s cheek and the alpha leaned into his palm.

“I’ll visit you every day,” promised Cas and Dean smiled and peppered kisses over his long fingers.

“You’d better.”

“We’ll visit too,” teased Benny from the driver’s seat and Dean laughed as Balthazar scrunched his nose up.

“I’ll be offended if you don’t,” replied Dean before he glanced back at Cas.

“When you next see me in something other than an orange jumpsuit, I’ll be an investigator.”

Cas smiled and claimed his lips again.

“I can’t wait.”

When they pulled apart, Balthazar rolled the window up and Cas stepped back as the car disappeared around the corner.

 

* * *

 

_Four years later…_

 

“You would look awesome in a pair of these tight, leather thongs, Angel,” whispered Dean as he took a seat near the front of the stage. The lighting was dimmed, placing more focus on the dancers on stage. They were a mixture of alpha, beta and omega and they worked the poles expertly, fluttering their eyelashes or posing in provocative positions as the audience cheered and whistled them on.

“Focus on the job, Dean,” came the grumbled reply from his earpiece and Dean grinned and settled into his seat, asking the wandering waiter for a whisky.

“Might have to steal one,” he teased lowly, angling his head towards the microphone in his jacket.

“TMI, guys. Really don’t need to hear about your adventures into _Fifty Shades_ territory,” huffed a voice that sounded suspiciously like Charlie.

“I’ll cuff you for theft,” muttered Cas and Dean smiled to himself as one of the young, male omegas on stage bent over into a traditional ‘presenting’ pose, making the audience growl and jeer with desire.

“If you wore one of those whilst you were in heat… mmm… the things I’d do to you. That perfect hole on display for my tongue-”

_“Oh, come on!”_

_“Gross!”_

_“Where’s the bleach?”_

Dean bit back a laugh at the team’s disgust. He heard Cas heave out a sigh and knew the omega was flushing a bright red.

“Mind out of the gutter and onto the case, Thief.”

Dean chuckled softly and smiled at the waiter as his drink came.

“Alright, alright,” Dean placated as he glanced around the club. It was just like every other strip club in LA; same tacky decorations, same horny audience, same overpriced drinks, same awful music… with one difference. Every dancer in the club looked under drinking age; some by a good few years.

That alone had raised red flags for the LAPD, but then they’d heard rumours that for the right price, the club owner would sell out his dancers for a night of pleasure, whether they were willing or not. 

He paid his dancers well, but not all of them looked happy.

Dean surveyed the club as he took a sip of his drink. Some dancers were amongst the audience, rolling their hips or flexing their bodies whilst straddling clients’ laps. Some of the customers looked old enough to be their grandparents.

Dean turned his nose up at the display and angled the button camera in his shirt towards an old, bearded beta with his hands smoothing over a young alpha’s bare thighs. The alpha looked uncomfortable and when the beta began leering at him, he turned his gaze away.

Dean swivelled to face the stage again, recording the obscene poses of the dancing omegas, alphas and betas on stage. Two female omegas stood opposite each other in nothing but a pair of thongs as they rutted against the same pole.

“You guys getting this?” Dean asked softly and there was an answering hum from Cas and a quiet growl from Benny.

“They’re just kids,” the other alpha rumbled disgustedly and Dean’s mouth drew into a thin line in agreement. Whoever owned this club was a sick lowlife.

A blonde beta with heavy eyeliner and a permanent scowl stalked over to Dean. She eyed him warily and Dean realised she was planning on giving him a lap dance despite looking like she wanted to knife him.

He leaned back and kept his hands by his sides, but plastered on a smirk in case anyone important was watching his reactions. Didn’t want to blow his cover now.

“Forgive me, Cas,” he whispered into the mic in his shirt pocket and he received a grunt in reply.

The beta glared at him as she straddled him and Dean did his best to not look at her scantily-clad body; her tight shorts and bra barely concealing her assets.

She had long, curly hair and bright blue eyes and Dean nearly snarled in frustration because this beta looked like she was supposed to be in school, not grinding in some middle-aged man’s lap.

“What’s your name, kid?” Asked Dean quietly as the beta began rolling her hips and grinding against his crotch in time with the migraine-inducing music.

“Anything you want it to be,” huffed the beta, not bothering to look at him.

“Well, I want to know your real name,” murmured Dean, hands firmly by his side.

The beta narrowed her eyes and turned her back to him, continuing her dancing.

“Claire,” she said curtly and Dean nodded.

“And how old are you, Claire?”

Claire scrunched her face up in revulsion as she rolled her eyes.

“Pervert,” she growled and Dean’s mouth turned downwards.

“I’m not like that. I just need to know how old you are.”

“Can’t find someone your own age? How pathetic,” bit out Claire. 

Dean scowled unhappily and suddenly, the beta stiffened and snapped her mouth shut as she dropped her gaze to the floor. She glanced up again, towards the bar and Dean was surprised when she turned around again to face him.

Dean subtly glanced towards the bar to find a well-dressed alpha in a suit frowning disapprovingly at Claire.

The owner of the club. It had to be.

To keep up appearances, Dean gingerly placed his hands on Claire’s hips and beta growled quietly before grinding harshly against his crotch, making it ache. He grunted lowly and ignored her glaring.

“Listen, kid, I’m not a customer. I’m an investigator,” breathed Dean. “I want to help you. I need you to tell me how old you are.”

Claire eyed him suspiciously but relaxed the pressure on his crotch.

“Bull. You look nothing like an investigator. Show me your badge.”

Dean pulled a face. “I can’t exactly flash my badge here when I’m supposed to be undercover,” he whispered. “But if you lean forwards a little and speak to my top pocket and then put your ear beside my right one, you’ll realise I’m not here alone.”

Claire stared at him in surprise as Dean offered her a small smile.

“Go on,” he murmured and Claire slowly leaned forwards.

“…Hello?” She mumbled before shifting to press her body against Dean’s as she lined her ear with his.

“Hello, Claire,” murmured Castiel. “My name is Detective Castiel Novak. I see you’ve met my mate; Dean. I promise he won’t hurt you. Please, do as he asks; we’re only a couple of blocks away.”

Claire gasped quietly. “You really are a cop,” she whispered and Dean winked at her playfully.

“Think you can confirm your age for me? Smile; you’re on camera.”

A grin tugged at the corners of Claire’s lips and she pitched forwards, pretending to grind harder against Dean.

“My name’s Claire Pond. I’m sixteen years of age but some of my friends here are younger. The youngest is thirteen.”

Dean snarled and Claire startled.

“Sorry,” he apologised with a grimace and this time she did smile.

“Don’t be. It’s… kinda nice to know at least someone disapproves.” She glanced over at her boss, whose gaze flicked between them suspiciously after hearing Dean’s abrupt snarl. 

“Grope my ass,” she ordered quietly and Dean’s eyes widened in mortification.

“I can’t do that!” He hissed and Claire glared at him before baring her throat and pushing his face into it.

“Nip my neck or something,” she demanded and Dean squeaked indignantly.

“I’m not hitting on a sixteen-year-old!”

“My boss suspects something’s wrong. Do something!” She whispered harshly and Dean grimaced before pressing his lips to her throat, hands brushing up her sides. He felt dirty.

The owner turned away, satisfied.

“That was pathetic,” muttered Claire, but she sounded faintly amused and Dean was thankful she wasn’t repulsed by his actions.

“Your boss over there… he the owner of this joint?” Asked Dean quietly and Claire nodded, continuing to dance in his lap.

“His name’s Bartholomew Goldstein. He pays teens good money to come dance here and he also gives teens, like me, who come from a troubled background a place to stay and eat and work. Problem is he says we can only stay if we take off our clothes for the customers and let them touch us.”

Dean bit back a growl and he could hear Benny snarling down his earpiece.

“Does he force you to do anything else?” Asked Dean. “Where does he draw the line at customers touching you?”

Claire glanced away in shame.

“He doesn’t.”

There was a lot of cursing in his earpiece and Dean’s nails bit crescents into the seat. Even Castiel was growling softly.

“He makes you have sex with them?” Asked Dean, barely controlling his anger and Claire nodded.

“Sometimes. Only if they’re willing to pay his price. If they think he’s asking for too much, he turns them away.” She raised an eyebrow. “I’m surprised you managed to get past the bodyguard. He doesn’t let just anyone in.”

“Slipped him some cash. It’s amazing what you can get into with a thousand dollars,” hummed Dean before subtly eying the slick-haired, silver-suited Bartholomew.

“Does he make the younger teens… pleasure the customers?” Asked Dean and Claire nodded hesitantly.

“Need you to speak into the microphone, kid.”

“He makes the fifteen and fourteen-year-olds sleep with customers too. If they pay him well,” whispered Claire and Dean offered her a sympathetic glance before coming to a decision.

“Listen, if I can get him to admit he’s forcing underage kids to have sex with his clients, I can get him arrested without any hassle. Think you can go dance somewhere else whilst I have a chat with him?”

Claire nodded. “Ben’s an omega. Black hair, brown eyes, lean, quite short. He’s fourteen. Ask for him,” she advised. “He’ll want a grand for him. Cash.”

“You’ve been very helpful, Miss Pond,” murmured Dean. “Once this is all over, come to the station and we’ll sort something out for you regarding accommodation and work.”

Claire grinned gratefully and slid off him sensually before sashaying off to another part of the club.

Dean waited a few minutes, sipping casually at his drink before ambling over to Bartholomew.

“Cute beta,” commented Dean as he leaned against the bar, ordering another drink. Bartholomew eyed him silently, assessing. 

“She can be… fiery,” he finally said and Dean grinned and tipped the barman when his whisky came.

“You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

Bartholomew allowed himself a small smirk. “You enjoyed her company?”

Dean sipped at his drink. “I did. Shame she’s not an omega.”

Bartholomew cocked an eyebrow. “She’s still an excellent dancer.”

Dean nodded. “No question. Just… not my type.”

The other alpha quirked his lips in amusement. “Your type?”

“I have a weakness for young, dark-haired omegas,” chuckled Dean. “You know the ones; kinda small and slim. Doesn’t really matter whether they’re male or female.”

An ugly smirk crawled across the other alpha’s features and Dean held back a shudder.

“I see. You’re in luck; I happen to know a dancer who fits your description rather perfectly. Would you be interested in a performance?”

Dean smirked in a way he hoped looked like all the other creepy, perverted guys in the club.

“Amongst other things.”

Bartholomew looked incredibly pleased. He caught a waitress by the arm and asked her to usher Ben from his room. The waitress, who looked far too young to be serving drinks, sent a subtle, disgusted glare at Dean before scurrying away.

Dean’s skin crawled as he raised his glass to his lips, Bartholomew relaxing against the bar. He felt uncomfortable and filthy. A few moments later, a young omega headed towards Bartholomew. He looked nervous and a little frightened and Dean felt sick as the boy glanced at him worriedly.

“Meet Ben,” said Bartholomew, voice like silk and Dean forced a smirk as his gaze roamed over the poor boy’s body.

“Very nice. He’s beautiful.”

The boy flinched and Dean wanted to throw up at his own words.

Bartholomew was quiet for a minute as he scrutinised Dean’s reaction, so Dean gently brushed his fingers down the omega’s cheek as if admiring the softness of his skin and when Ben closed his eyes in fear, Dean wanted to shoot something.

Finally, Bartholomew’s expression slid into a satisfied smile.

“Mister…?”

“Ackles. Jensen Ackles,” finished Dean and Bartholomew nodded.

“Mister Ackles… I like you. I like your laid-back attitude. I like how you admire my employees. I want to give you something in return for making me smile. An offer of sorts. Regarding our friend, Ben,” purred Bartholomew and Dean raised an interested eyebrow.

“I’m listening.” 

“For one thousand dollars, cash, I’m willing to offer you a night with Ben Braeden. You can do anything you like with him. I’ll even give you a room to… enjoy his company in. He’ll be yours for the remainder of the evening and until midday tomorrow.”

Dean plastered on a look of poorly-concealed excitement as Ben whimpered softly. 

“A whole night, huh? And I can do anything with him?”

“Anything,” agreed Bartholomew smoothly and Dean scratched his chin contemplatively.

“A grand though? It’s a little steep.”

“He’s worth it, I assure you.”

“Can’t you do seven hundred?” Dean haggled, hoping it would make the whole act more believable.

Bartholomew shook his head and Dean pulled a face.

“Eight?”

Once again Bartholomew shook his head and Dean sighed.

“Listen, man, I’ll do eight-fifty, but that’s my final offer. I can’t go any higher than that. Not for a single night.”

Bartholomew blinked slowly. 

“If you’re not willing to pay for the experience, then I’m afraid I’ll have to take my offer elsewhere. Have a good evening, Mister Ackles.”

“Nine,” Dean blurted as the alpha began to turn away. “I’ll do nine, but I’ve not got any more on me. Please. I really like him and I’ve travelled a long way to get here.”

Bartholomew smirked and turned to face him.

“You’re lucky I like you, Mister Ackles. Nine hundred dollars for one night with Ben Braeden. It’s a deal.”

Dean grinned as Ben let out a little sob.

“So… when can I have him?”

“As soon as you pay me,” replied Bartholomew. “Then he’s yours to do with as you please for the rest of the night.”

Dean chuckled and pulled out his wallet. He counted out nine hundred dollars of LAPD-supplied money and paused before handing it over.

“Hey, I didn’t ask… how old is he?”

“Fourteen,” said Bartholomew before holding his hand out expectantly and Dean suddenly smirked and shoved the money back into his wallet.

“Good to know,” he commented as he pocketed his wallet. He turned to the scared Ben.

“Ever seen the police break down a door?” He winked and the young omega tilted his head in confusion as Bartholomew frowned.

The door suddenly flung open and a team of officers stormed into the building with bulletproof vests and cocked weapons. Castiel glided into the room, trench coat billowing majestically behind him.

Ben laughed in relief as Claire cheered from the corner of the room and Dean grinned at his lover before turning to the repulsive club owner.

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and may be used against you in a court of law.” He chuckled to himself. “I never get tired of saying that.”

Suddenly, a fist impacted with Dean’s jaw and the investigator stumbled as Bartholomew cursed at his sore hand.

“You son of a bitch!” He screeched at Dean whilst preparing for another blow, but quicker than he could process, Castiel was on him.

The omega twisted his arm backwards, kicked the back of his knees until the alpha crumpled to the floor, then yanked his wrists behind his body so he could slap on a pair of cuffs. 

“Mister Goldstein, you are under arrest for the exposing and prostitution of underage teenagers and for assaulting an officer of the law,” growled Castiel, eyes narrowed as he forced the alpha to remain on his knees.

“Woah,” said Ben, staring at Castiel in awe and Dean grinned despite his aching jaw.

“Ain’t he awesome?”

Ben nodded slowly. An omega detective was a rare sight. An omega detective overpowering an aggressive alpha with barely any effort and not a single hair out of place was practically a fairy tale. 

Cas rolled his eyes.

“Help me load him into the car,” he ordered flatly and Dean chuckled and did as asked whilst the other officers began to question the customers and make additional arrests; some herding the dancers to safety and explaining their futures.

 

* * *

 

Cas collapsed into bed with a groan, rubbing his eyes after the stacks of mind-numbing paperwork he’d just been subjected to. It was midnight and his fingers were aching from typing so much.

Dean soon tumbled into the other side of the bed with an equally-exhausted groan of complaint. He flexed his hands for a few moments before rolling over and cuddling up to his mate.

Cas huffed and curled into him, purring when Dean slipped his arms around him and kissed his head.

“You reek of pheromones,” muttered Cas. “Are you due to start a rut?”

Dean grumbled out a noise that could have been taken as agreement or maybe a sign that he was suffocating.

“I’m due for a heat soon,” murmured Cas and Dean moaned softly.

“We’ve managed to line our cycles up,” he said quietly and the omega nodded before nuzzling the alpha’s throat.

“How’s your jaw?”

“Okay,” hummed Dean, squeezing his lover gently. “Might feel better if you kiss it.”

Castiel quirked a smile and pressed his lips against the alpha’s jaw, making Dean sigh happily.

“Much better.”

Castiel smirked and snuggled into Dean’s chest, kissing his bare skin when the alpha wrapped himself around him, nuzzling his hair and scenting him adoringly.

“I never thought I’d have this,” whispered Dean and Cas smiled, gazing at the fairy lights twinkling above them. 

“Neither did I,” he murmured and Dean squeezed him again. A few minutes ticked by in silence.

“We have an early shift tomorrow,” whispered Cas and Dean nosed at his hair.

“Want me to turn the lights off?”

“Please.”

Dean chuckled and crawled out of bed and whilst he was gone, Cas rearranged their nest of pillows and cushions and blankets to look more comfortable. A few seconds later, the fairy lights shut off, plunging the tent into darkness. He heard the alpha padding across their bedroom before climbing through the door flap and slithering back onto the mattress.

He curled around Cas once more and the omega tucked them both in with the assortment of blankets they shared.

Dean rumbled in contentment and the sound made the omega in Castiel purr with joy. His alpha loved him dearly and Cas had never realised how amazing that felt.

Dean smoothed a hand down his bare back.

“I’ll always love you, Angel,” he hummed sleepily and Cas smiled.

“I love you too, Thief.”

Dean grinned fondly.

“Out of everything I ever stole, what was your favourite?” Whispered Dean, genuinely curious and Castiel was silent for a few moments, contemplative, before a slow smile spread over his face and he closed his eyes and nestled into his mate’s chest.

“My heart.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love a corny, happy ending, don't you? ;) 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed this fic as much as I enjoyed writing it! I've loved all your supportive comments and hope to see you in more of my fics in the future!

**Author's Note:**

> This idea wormed its way around my head until I had to write it. It will not be as long as the likes of RWTW and Bridging the gap! I swear! (I hope)


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